9 Months: Postpartum Update

Exercise: This has been a month of, do whatever feels best! I did the Shaun Week that was released using Beachbody On Demand with the all access pass. Plus tried out some new to me workouts including Insanity Max:30! My goal was to exercise 4-5 days a week and on average I did 3-4. I am still trying to get my knee to feel better, so I have been modifying the workouts to fit me but I am still working, still sweating and still rocking! 

Weight: Pre-pregnancy weight:237.7. Weight morning of birth: 265. Current weight July 1: 248.1. Weight went up for 1 reason...NUTRITION! I have not been on track with my nutrition habits at all. I have been indulging too much. Plus when Elyse was going through her little growth spurt, I went through a little carb loading eating way more carbs than I usually do, which made my body bloat up like crazy. Combine that with the muggy summer here and I have swollen up as well. If I want to reach my goals, I have got to get my eating back on track!

July Goals: This month is the month of nutrition and getting my eating back on track. I know what to eat for my body, but you guys, the struggle is real. My mind wants other things and just like anyone else it is hard to stick with a meal plan. But Eat right most of the time and indulge just some of the time is key to a healthy lifestyle change! For my exercise I am aiming for 5 days a week of active exercise and using the weekends to do healthy activities with my family. Shift Shop, a brand new 21 day workout is coming out this month and I am excited to get my hands on that. I am probably going to be taking some of my workouts outside to try something new. I want you to know that it is possible to lose weight while breastfeeding. Looking for support and community on your journey, join my accountability groups! The accountability from sharing my journey and in my groups is what is keeping me going everyday. Interested in joining my private online support community? CLICK HERE TO JOIN: CONNECT THE DOTS TO YOUR HEALTH, FITNESS AND LIFE Private Online Community.

Are you ready to make that complete healthy lifestyle change but don't know where to start? I have created a 30 day workbook with daily action steps to help you make a complete healthy lifestyle change. 30 Days To A Healthy Lifestyle Change is available in my EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group as part of my Summer Slim Down To Success 60 Day Program as a TOOL to go along with your Beachbody On Demand All Access Pass workout programs and journey. If you are interested in joining us and are ready to order CLICK HERE and I will send you an email after you order with your materials and get you added to the group!

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! Don't forget to follow me on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK!

Salsa Chicken Recipe

One of our new favorite ways to enjoy chicken. Salsa Chicken! Great for meal prep because this chicken can be used for anything. Salad. Burrito Bowls. Chicken and rice. Chicken and broccoli. Anything that you want just a quick kick to. Plus it cooks up in just 25 minutes. Can't beat that! 

SALSA CHICKEN: 
5 chicken breasts
fajita seasoning
1/2 jar of salsa

Spread 5 chicken breasts on a cookie sheet. 
Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with fajita seasoning.
Pour salsa on each breast. 
Bake at 400 degree Fahrenheit for 25 minutes. 
Shred chicken and store in fridge. 
Take what you need! 

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Decadent Berry Trifle

Dessert? Did that ginger just say, dessert?!? Yep, I sure did! My philosophy is, eat clean most of the time and enjoy holidays and special days, GUILT FREE! But when I make something, I go all out. And the 4th of July is no exception. Plus my husband and kids all love this! Plus to get that beautiful red, white and blue look it gives me the perfect excuse to use fresh berries, and LOTS OF THEM! And since everyone asks me for my recipe, why not make a post about it. Check out my favorite and easy to put together Angel Food Cake Trifle!

Festive Berry Trifle

Ingredients:

1 full size, pre made, angel food cake (or make your own from scratch, but I just buy the already made version at my local grocery store)

3 pounds  of strawberries (3 small clamshell sizes or 2 large ones and keep half of one for later)

2 pints of blueberries

1 pint heavy whipping cream

2 tsp powder sugar

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tsp almond extract

Directions:

Prep: 

Slice the angel food cake into small bite size pieces, roughly 1 inch cubes.

Quarter 2 pounds of the strawberries and thinly slice 1 pound for decoration along the side of the bowl and the top.

Combine the quartered strawberries and blueberries in a separate bowl to evenly distribute the berries.

Make the cream: 

Using a mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream. When at soft peaks add the powder sugar. 

Once the whipping cream is at stiff peaks add the softened cream cheese and whip together. Slowly drizzle in the sweetened condensed milk. Then add the lemon juice and almond extract and whip to thicken up a little bit. About 3 minutes on medium speed.

Assembly: 

Spread 1/3 little bit of the cream on the bottom of your glass trifle bowl. 

Evenly top with 1/3 of the angel food cake. 

Evenly top the angel food cake with 1/3 of the berries, using slices around the edge to make it decorative. 

Repeat pattern of cream, cake, berries 2 more times or however you want to layer it. The picture above I swapped the final layer to be the cake, cream, and berries for decoration.

Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden the cream, serve and enjoy! 

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Elyse Cheyenne: 9 Months

STATS: 

14 pounds 15 ounces

26.5 inches tall

Elyse is moving all over the house now! Baby girl is so fast too! She loves that she can crawl after her brothers and is of course the center of their attention. She is such a happy smiley baby now. Her personality is coming out so much, but on the flip side, she knows how to project her screams to really tell you when she is mad. But she honestly doesn't cry that much. We are ver thankful for that. she is very patient with all of us. 

She still hasn't gained all too much weight since she started solids, and with crawling she is now bumped up to 3 solid food meals a day. We are doing baby led weaning so she eats a lot of what we eat. But her fave, greek yogurt with mixed berries. 

She still doesn't have any teeth yet. They look close to coming in but, only time will tell! 

Have fun with the picture overload! She is really starting to look more and more like my mini-me! 

Collin was the prop master for Elyse, but she was done with her sunglasses

 Less than 5 minutes later, she passes out!

 Baby girl loves her chocolate! 

She loves being with her brothers 

Her real life hero. 

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free info, tips, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! Don't forget to follow me on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK!

End Of The Month Assessment

It's the last day of the month, wow...already!?!? It's time to look back at your goals for the month. Are you at those goals you set on June 1 or not quite yet? I personally am not quite there yet...again! (nutrition...has been my downfall! More on that later.) But I know where I need to improve on that. Think about your goals you want to accomplish next month and come up with a plan on what you can do to reach those goals.

Think of this as your end of the month assessment. But the great thing is, new month, tomorrow, and a whole new fresh start! But here is the thing...if you don't change what you allow, everything will continue.

Take the time now to figure out what happened this month, where you rocked and where you can improve. Then come up with a plan on what you can do this next month so that you reach your goals. Meal planning. Exercise planning. Daily affirmations. Daily action steps to help you stay motivated and on track.

Make a list of your goals and what the heck you are going to do to reach them for the month. And check back to it often during the next 30 days to help drive you to keep going. To make better choices. The more you look at that list the more you will get determined to keep going! It about staying on track. It's about feeling better. It's about taking care of you in the end.

Ready to get unlimited access to workouts that help you reach your goals? With over 600 workouts, and a brand new program being released July 12, he time is now to get your membership! Send me a message and let's get you hooked up!

Or click the links below to order and I will contact you!

1 Year membership, 1st month supply of Shakeology and the color coded container system bundle (LAST MONTH ON 20% OFF SALE!)

Standalone 1 year membership

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Guest Blog Posts at KickAss Healthy Moms

I had the opportunity to write a guest blog post. Check it out for my story and the 5 steps I have taken to help me live a healthy lifestyle change!

KICKASS HEALTHY MOMS GUEST BLOG POST

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Healthy Fats For The Win!

Say it with me, "HEALTHY FATS ARE GOOD!" I grew up thinking fat was fat, no matter if it was considered good or bad. And fat was BAD. But that is not the case. There are bad fats that we want to and should be avoiding and there are good fats that our body needs!

Fats slow down food absorption which helps you feel fuller longer. Fat acts as the reserve energy source for when you need more fuel to burn while working out. They also help to regulate many of the body's hormones plus help to absorb the vitamins and nutrients from the food that you eat.

There are Healthy Fats Saturated fats and Trans fats.

Healthy good fats: Can have daily
Veggie oils
Fish (salmon especially)
Flaxseed
Nuts and nut butters (no added sugar)
Olive oil
Avocado

Saturated Fats: In moderation
Meat (fatty meats, poultry with the skin)
Cheese
Butter, lard
Egg yolks
Whole milk
Coconut oil
Chocolate

Trans Fats: Only occasionally
Cakes, cookies
Pastries
Packaged foods (including snacks)
Fried foods
Crackers
Margarine or butter alternatives
And anything with "Hydrogenated ______" in the ingredients list, avoid.

This is why I use my chart of approved foods I can eat. Not only does it help me know what foods I am allowed to eat but I also have a clear and easy way to follow how much of each type of fat I can have.

Do not be scared of healthy fats! BE SCARED of anything that says, fat free, diet or sugar free. When I do eat healthy fats, like yogurt, cheese and milk, I aim for full fat. Fat free, diet or sugar free are generally products that have been over processed, use additives or use chemicals as a replacement for sugars. Think aspartame instead of regular sugar. When in doubt, go full out. We have whole milk in our house. 4% cottage cheese. Full fat yogurt and cheese. The key though, is in moderation. I personally don't eat a lot of dairy but I want to make sure that my kids are getting the right kinds of healthy fats and no other chemicals or additives.

Remember: It is okay to have a sweet or treat on occasion and GUILT FREE! If you are eating healthy most of the time, having a dessert once a week will not derail your results. It will keep you sane! But you have to be honest about it and remember only 1 time, not every day.

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, info tips and support in my FREE online community + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey!

Believe In Yourself

For years I knew what i wanted but never really thought I could reach my goals. Am I at my goals right now? Nope, not yet. I'm a work in progress. And the key word is YET! I am working every day to reach my goals. It isn't easy. And I have good days and bad days just like anyone else. It doesn't just happen, as much as I want it to. You have to get your stuff together to MAKE it happen.

The key is TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! Then...

Eat better
Exercise
Love yourself as you are

Think about it...The last time you were on your journey and you stopped exercising or eating better, why? You stopped believing in you and the progress you were making and the plan you were on/what you were doing. But you HAVE TO believe in yourself. If you don't believe in yourself, you aren't going to eat better. You won't exercise. You won't put your heart into it. And you are still going to see yourself in a negative way. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. Because as hard as you have tried, you can still reach your goals. Never give up on what you want. It is there, but you have to believe that you can reach your goals!

I struggled for years to truly see myself as I am and to love who I was. I would think and tell myself that I was fat, and ugly. It wasn't until I finally dug deep and focused my energy on building my self confidence, happiness, self love, joy in my life, self respect and learning positive body image and finally forgave myself that I finally was able to let my walls down and learned how amazing I really was. Do you struggle with loving yourself as you are right? Check out my Love Yourself Fit: 7 Ways to Love Yourself Fit ebook with my tips to help you learn to love yourself as you are right now!

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, info tips and support in my FREE online community + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey!

EXERCISE: How To Get Results In 30 Minutes

I am a busy mom of 3 kids. I have said it before. It was even implied today at the store that I wouldn't have time to do other things because I am too busy with my kids, you can watch that video over on FACEBOOK HERE. And because I am busy, I choose to do 30 minute workouts at MAX EFFORT. Gone are the days of just going through the motion and using lighter weights. Now, I work for the body that I want.

I used to think that I had to exercise for 2 hours a day to lose weight. I was literally doing 2 hours of the elliptical a day 8 years ago. But that isn't the case. At all. Not if you are giving it your all and actually pushing yourself, and WORKING. You can do just 30 minutes a day of exercise.

30 Minutes Of Effective Exercise WORKS!

Just think about. If you did 30 minutes on the treadmill of walking at 2.8 speed for 30 minutes compared to doing interval training at a 30 second run and 1.5 minute fast walk, which is going to make you feel more out of breath? Which one did you work more towards. Don't get me wrong. Walking is great. If you love walking, great. But I am talking about the max effort to GET your results in your timeline.

Sure, we all have days where we drag and just don't want to do it, but you still need to do it as best as you can even on those days.

Key Things To Do In Your Next workout: 

Try before you modify: 
Make sure you are trying the move before you modify, unless you have preexisting injuries. If you are just getting into exercise or have been away for awhile. Try the move at least once to see where your starting point is. YOU MUST USE CORRECT FORM THOUGH. Don't strain yourself though. If you can't get into the move, modify for sure. But it is best to try before you modify. You might be surprised that you can do 5 jump squats when you didn't even think you could do 1!

Take your effort up a notch: 
If you have been doing the same workout for 3 weeks and you are still doing the same move at the same speed it is time to take it up a notch. Increase your weight. Or go just a hair faster. Jump higher. Whatever you have to do to take it up a notch.

Do Just 1 More:
Ever week do just 1 more rep than you did the week prior. This helps you see and feel how much stronger and better you are getting. And it is causing you to make progress in your workouts instead of just staying stuck at what you have done before.

Aim To Sweat:
If you are aiming to be sweating by the end of your workout then that means you worked your heart. And increased your heart rate. THAT IS GOOD! I have heard people don't want to sweat while exercising because they don't like to sweat or have to go back to work. Go on a walk and get a short little bit in but...It should be a fast walk and if not, then it might be time to find another time to do a more higher intensity exercise. You want to reach your goals right? Then you have to work for it! Your heart rate should go up a little bit and by doing that your body is exerting and will start to perspire to help cool you off. Even bit of sweat you drop is that much closer to reaching the body you want. Don't back off on what you are doing just because of a little sparkle!

Believe In You:
Believe that you can actually do the workout or actual exercise. Burpees, I hate them. Just like everyone else. They are hard. They spike my heart rate like CRAZY! And often I will modify before I try because I know what they do to me...But not anymore. My goal is to always do one full out. Then the next time I have them do 2 and so forth. I can no longer be stuck. I know I can do this and I know that I can work my body. Time to start believing it!

BE CONSISTENT: 
Want results you have to do something every day to get them. That means you have to workout 4-5 times a week. Think of it as your job (it can be by the way. Through coaching just like me! Have questions? Send me an EMAIL!) . Think of it as part of your everyday chore. How ever you have to think about it but you have to do it everyday. Just here and there isn't going to work anymore. It has to be on a regular basis.

Ready to make a complete lifestyle change and rock your goals and results in just 30 days? Be sure to get my 30 Days To A Healthy Lifestyle Change Workbook to help you learn the tricks to make a true and lasting lifestyle change!

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! Don't forget to follow me on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK!

Plus Size Fitness: Upper Body Fat Blasting Workout

I can't wait for my arms and back to be toned and defined! Check out some of my favorite moves to blast the fat and help me strengthen my upper body!

8-10 reps- Repeated 2 times (I'm personally using 10 pound weights, but use whatever weight feels best for you)

Want more Plus Size Fitness Exercises? Check out This Core Strengthening Workout! 

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! Don't forget to follow me on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK!