Bump Update: 12 Weeks

YAY! I have made it to 12 weeks. I have now officially passed 2 of my other miscarriages. One more to go and I will finally feel like I am in the clear. Honestly, I think I will start to celebrate my pregnancy after the 21st. As that is the date that I miscarried last year. If I make it past that, I will finally take a sigh of relief and feel more comfortable.

But I do feel different this pregnancy. I am trying my darndest not to bond, but I am. I am filled with joy about being pregnant and truly feel like it is a blessing from God. We are getting the ultimate do-over. And that is comforting.

Total Weight Gain: 3 pounds

Symptoms: still getting morning sickness at night, can't eat a big dinner at all. 

Baby’s Size: Plum

Maternity Clothes: No but my jeans are getting tight. I will be ordering some maternity shorts pretty soon! 

Stretch Marks: I already have a ton that I got when I gained weight years ago. So nothing new.

Sleep: I am waking up 3 times a night to pee. And often have a hard time getting back to sleep. But I am going to bed by 9:30 every night it seems and I love getting sleep! 

Miss Anything: Sleeping comfortably! 

Cravings: CARBS and not the good kind

Aversions: nothing yet

Workouts: The plan was to start this week. Morning sickness is pretty good in the morning so I am planning on trying out the ACTIVE MATERNITY workout tomorrow! 

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! 

At Home Prenatal Yoga

This week, I finally feel more like myself. Not too queasy, not too tired. It has actually been pretty amazing. And earlier than I expected! It was also the start to getting back into exercise. I am taking it nice and slow and relaxed this week and then I will get back into my normal 30 minute routine next week hoping I will be able to of course)

I have found quite a few different resources to help me get started and get back into it since I do at home workouts anyhew! Check out what I have been doing!

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! 

Local Honey For Allergies?

It is starting to warm up out there! Who else suffers from springtime allergies? I do, and about right now I start to add local RAW honey to my diet. Not a lot up to a tablespoon a day to build up my defenses really. In all honesty, I notice a difference in my allergies when I add honey in my diet, but I have to start about 2 weeks before the hugs pollen explosion which is usually around the first week of April. You will have to determine if this works for you or not. (Remember not to feed honey to children under the age of 1 as it can be very harmful for them due to the bacteria that can be contained in it.)

Here's the sticky truth: 

Honey that is raw will still contain all the living enzymes needed to protect your body from a histamine overdose.

Any raw honey that is harvested nearby where the same sort of plants are blooming at roughly the same time can be considered local.

Raw, local honey only works on pollen allergies.

How to add honey to your everyday life? 

Add some honey to your cup of warm lemon in the morning. So it would be warm lemon and honey water. 

Try out the ENERGY BITES recipe because it uses honey! 

Just enjoy a good old PB & Honey sandwich every now and then.

Look for some recipes that call for honey in them. A quick and easy google search or Pinterest search will find them for you!

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! 

HEALTHY Crockpot Turkey Meatballs!

Made this last night and they were so easy and YUMMY! PERFECT!

Crockpot Turkey Meatballs:

Ingredients:

-1.25lbs of ground turkey (93% lean)

-¼ Cup of Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs

-2TBSP of Italian Seasoning

-1 Egg

-1 Clove of Garlic (crushed)

-Salt and Pepper to Taste

-Low Sodium, no Sugar Added Pasta Sauce (Ragu has a light, no sugar added sauce) or make your own! (My hubs wanted extra sauce so you might want more sauce if you like it saucy!)

-zucchini noodles, or we used whole wheat noodles

Directions:

1. Combine turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, seasonings, and garlic into a bowl and mix together.

2. Form small meatballs, about 1 tablespoon each

3. Add meatballs to crockpot

4. Add sauce on top of meatballs (add enough to just about cover the meatballs.

5. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

6. Serve with Zucchini Noodles or just stick a toothpick in there. Or heat up some whole wheat pasta

7. Enjoy!

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! 

There Are No Quick Fixes To Losing Weight

I went through my cupboards and did another clean up of things that I just don't need anymore. I did this about 6 months ago and finally threw out some of my "quick fix" pills that I thought would work at the time. (Garcinia Cambogia and the green coffee bean extracts pills) And guess what? I found 3 more bottles of these pills that are meant to help get me "high school skinny!" Why do I still have these? Honestly, in case I got desperate. (after pregnancy of course) But not anymore. They are gone. In the trash! No more wasting my money on pills that won't work and sticking with what I finally know works!

I was that girl that was always looking for the easy way to lose weight. The magic pill to help me so I wouldn't have to work as hard. But guess what? There is not magic pill! Nope, never. You have to learn to eat right and fill your body with the nutrients and vitamins that your body needs, and that is why I never lost the weight while taking those "magic pills." I would still eat crap thinking that my pills would take care of it for me. They didn't.

Stop taking the easy pills, eat good whole foods and a healthy diet. That is the first place to start, every single time. If you don't know what foods to eat, or even where to start, please EMAIL ME, let's talk. THIS IS WHAT I DO AND LOVE DOING! Coach, motivate, inspire. Together we can get you on the right path so that you never have to take those pills again, or even want to, and still be able to eat and keep the weight off! You are worth it to finally be in control of your life!

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! 

21 Day Fix Approved Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Check out one of the recipes I will be making this week for us!

Fix Approved Buffalo Chicken Wraps

INGREDIENTS:

1. One pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast
2. ¾ Cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
3. 1/4 cup of Franks Red Hot (I'm using Trader Joe's Chili sauce)
4. 1 tsp Garlic Powder
5. 1 tsp minced Garlic
6. 1/2 cup Diced Onion
7. Bib lettuce or Romaine lettuce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add all ingredients into the crock pot
2. Cook on low for 3 hours
3. Stir after the first hour and a half so that all of the chicken is washed with the seasonings, yogurt and hot sauce
4. Once cooked thoroughly, you will be able to pull the chicken apart into shredded pieces
I put mine over a salad or in a lettuce wrap smile emoticon

This counts as 1 Red and 1 Blue, and in the lettuce 1/2 green- 1 whole green depending on if it is a wrap or on a salad on the ‪#‎21dayfix‬ meal plan!

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! 

Running While Pregnant Is Possible

I just realized last that 2 years ago I ran in my FIRST half marathon at 29 weeks PREGNANT!

First of all, I can't believe that it has been 2 years, almost seems longer, but secondly, I am still amazed that I did it. Did the race. What a blessing that I was able to be healthy, and have a healthy pregnancy, and that my body allowed me to do it. Yes my body, because, it is no joke training for a half marathon!

I learned so much about myself that day:

1) that I am a very determined redhead, that when I set my sights on something, come hell or high water, I am going to do it! I even said the day I registered, pregnant or not, I will be doing the race. And I did.

2) That it is totally ok to exercise while pregnant, as long as you have the okay from your doc. Every appointment I asked, "You sure it is ok for me to do x amount of miles this week? Can I still do the race?" He fully supported me. But also told me what to watch out for.

3) I learned to listen to my body and realized that my body is a heck of a lot stronger than I thought it was. I did up to 11 miles, on the treadmill in the space of 3 hours. I did that during my training. I kicked butt, and I survived, I had to take a nap every weekend to get my energy back but I still did it.

4) To believe in myself even when others around me didn't. People told me I was crazy, even the morning of the race in the corrals. People looked at me funny at the gym because I was running while pregnant. I was told it wasn't safe, and I was going to hurt my baby. But I believed in myself and my body and we did it!

Our bodies are amazing. We can make babies, and bounce back to how we were before we got pregnant. We can feed a human being. We can be kept up all night from worry over those little human beings. Believe in you and your body.

Right now I am hosting my regular health and fitness support group and a fit pregnancy group, It is so amazing watching women and moms just kick butt at the gym, or home workouts. They are taking care of themselves and their babies. I love what I do as a coach, working with so many women who are ready to change their lives. Pregnant or not, if you are ready to join my groups for motivation and support, CONTACT ME! Comment below, or email me. Let's chat.

It's kind of fun to do the impossible!

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! 

Fighting Those Pregnancy Cravings!

We all have them, CRAVINGS, pregnant or not. But when you are pregnant there are 2 things that happen to us.

1) Cravings when pregnant go on overdrive. They become so much more heightened!

2) Giving into cravings happen more because, you're pregnant!

Don't get into the cycle though, speaking from experience here peeps, to just throw in the towel and eat whatever you want. That is the last thing you want to be doing. Yes you need to be eating 300-500 more calories while pregnant, IN THE LAST TRIMESTER! But in the beginning, no. You don't need to increase your caloric intake. I know it is so nice to "finally" eat the foods you want to eat because you are feeding for two. But what happens. You start to gain weight too quickly, and before you know it, you have gained 10 pounds in just a couple months. It is the last thing you want to go through while you are making a baby.

So advice on fighting those oh so hard pregnancy cravings?

1) Make it a treat. Only occasionally. Yes, you will still give in to them, because if you don't you will binge later on.

2) Choose only 1 day a week to allow yourself those cravings if you have to. Schedule it in. Make it planned. Not spontaneous.

3) Work really hard to eat really well the rest of the time. And when you do that, eating a treat won't matter at all!

4) CUT THE GUILT OUT OF IT! This taken from a post on Facebook by

Mama Lion Strong "I haven't done anything wrong and there's nothing to feel guilty for. And no, I will not follow this up with a punishment of skipping breakfast, a salad for lunch, and broccoli and grilled chicken for supper.

I wake up and carry on as normal. Because Snickers happens. Ice cream happens. Chips happen. Normal people eat these things. They can be part of anyone's well balanced diet and will make no difference in how you look or feel overall.

That is.... Unless you make yourself feel rotten for it. And that rotten feeling makes you eat ten bags of Snickers because you're a bad, bad girl.

Do this for the next year, then it might start affecting how you look and feel overall.

If you have a trainer, a nutrition coach, a friend or family member pushing an extreme food mentality on you I'm just going to say it: they probably have an eating disorder. Don't get sucked in. Eat your Snickers and carry on."

Cravings suck! But sometimes you just have to give in to them, allow them to happen, enjoy your life and move on to the next! You are worth it to take care of yourself, but enjoy life too! 

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! 

You ARE Worth It - Stop Doubting Yourself

Last night I was reading from one of my books. It talked about the phrase "I Am Worth It." And sometimes that phrase, on some days that might not be going the way they should be can turn back into, "Am I Worth It?" Some days this is going to happen. Trust me. On days that the kids are arguing with me, not listening, not following the things I am asking I start to question how good of a mom I am, or if I am even worth it. It is an awful feeling to deal with. It can quickly turn into a downward spiral and then all the good work you had been doing can just shatter.

Just know, there are going to be times that you are going to doubt yourself, but have a stronger conviction to not listen to those moments. Or at least don't dwell in them. You are so much stronger than you think you are. You are worth it.

Have you ever felt this way? That pesky, "Am I worth it" phrase come into your thinking???

Here is the thing. YOU ARE WORTH IT! NO matter what your brain or anyone else tells you. You are so worth every hard decision, workout, quiet time, me time, alone time, or anything else you can think about that can just get you down. You are worth it! Never ever forget it. You are worth anything! 

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! 

2016 Disney Princess Half Marathon

Good luck to all the Princesses running in the 2016 Disney Princess Half Marathon today! It is a great course! Stay safe, hydrate and above all, HAVE FUN! Wish I was with you. One day I will be but until then, Have a great time!

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!