No Room For Excuses

In March and April I had a hard time just climbing the stairs without feeling dizzy or winded during my recovery from the miscarriage. Making new blood and filling my body back up with blood was HARD WORK! For months after I have had a hard time with pushing myself to where my heart rate accelerated too much. I have been afraid that I am going to pass out, because I was getting just as winded as I was during my recovery. (thanks to PTSD!) 

Now I can finally run up and down my stairs without being winded, just dizzy cause they turn a lot! But I am working on me everyday. Pushing myself as hard as I can because it is important to me. Eating clean, and just spending 30 minutes working on my body making it as fit as possible. I have decided that I am worth it and I can not stop what I enjoy doing just because I have a little bit of fear creeping inside of me anytime I try to better myself! I am worth more and so are you! 

I have seen too many excuses. Too many times. Heck, I made those excuses too! I am too fat. I haven't exercised in forever. I can't do it because it is hard. I can't breath. I'm too sore. I'm too slow. I'm too this and I'm too that. I love chocolate too much. I can't do that. I want to but... Enough with excuses. You want to change. You have to decide that you want to and DO IT! That is all it takes. You want to lose 20 pounds so you can get pregnant, then decide why you want to do it and think about that why when you have one of those pesky excuses enter into your head.

Here is the thing. EVERYONE has excuses. Arnold Schwarzenegger probably had an excuse as to why he didn't want to lift that day, but he didn't listen to those excuses. He did what he had to. Even moms. You can make an excuse as to why you aren't going to make lunch for your child that day, but you want your kids to eat healthy foods and they need a lunch so your motivation to make the lunch is greater than your excuse. Don't be ruled by your excuses. Stomp them down and stick with what you know you need to do! It really is that easy!

If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you will have excuse after excuse as to why you can't do something! Fight those excuses and show them who is boss! You have it in you! You can do it!

Hope

This past Saturday I finished my fourth piano solo composition. Bet you didn't know that I have actually dabbled in writing music? I am not a mastermind at music composition but I just write what comes to me and take it from there. Sometimes I hear a melody and I can get swept up in it and write a decent amount of music in a day, or sitting and that is really what happened with this one. It has been on my mind almost every day since I started it. I started writing again, a brand new song, on the 30th of August. And now less than 30 days I have completed it.

I have titled it Hope, or A Mother's Hope (still deciding). It really is about my roller coaster of a ride with having babies. All the struggles and joys I have experienced.

I was inspired to finish it when my sister in law had her baby. A red headed little girl. Which is what I always imagined my baby girl would be. I am not going to lie. I am jealous, I am sad. My due date was actually this coming Saturday on the 26th. My sis-in-law and I were both expecting at the same time. And it is hard knowing that she has her little girl and I don't... yet. I know this might seem petty, and I am not writing this to get pity or make my sister in law feel upset for having her baby, or anyone else for that matter. I am saying this because it is normal and natural to experiences these feelings of jealousy, anger, frustration, and sadness. It is ok to feel these things. And don't let anyone tell you different! It is also about how we express those feelings. Being angry at our family or anyone because they have something you don't is not the best right. The feelings need to be talked about, expressed and released. I needed to get those feelings out and I did it through my music. I was bawling my eyes out when my music took a turn I wasn't expecting. Mimicking the sadness and grief I felt when I lost her. But the end is so hopeful. I know that someday when the time is right she will join our family. This is not in my control. I am on God's timeline and at this point, I am hopeful that someday she will be with us. When that will be? I have no idea but I have hope that she will be here when it is her right time.

I am thankful that I have the talent to be able to play my feelings out. Holding them in is the last thing I want to do. I have to let them out. In any way I can. Music, art, dancing anything creative that you can do to help you express those feelings so that you can feel free, lifted and just at peace with what is being thrown your way. Trust in yourself and in God that you can get through this and you will. I am so happy for my sister in law and her family for her little girl making it safely here. Babies are a miracle no matter what! It is hard work making a baby!

Food Volume Matters!

Why are we encouraged to eat veggies and fruits with our meals? Yes we all know that eating our veggies is good for us because they contain vitamins and minerals in them that might not be found as easily or easy for our bodies to process but there is a whole other reason to it too! VOLUME! Veggies fill up our stomach and trigger that signal in our brains that tells us "HEY YOU'RE FULL! STOP EATING!"

The whole point to adding veggies, a cup or two at a time, with our meals is to add volume to our meal. Check out the picture below to see what I am talking about! Think about it. When you eat the "recommended" serving size of pasta you are still hungry and want more. Why? Because the pasta alone is not enough to fill you up. (Anytime we went to Olive Garden I would always get the salad for me and eat half the bowl and I could barely eat any of my actual pasta dish. This is why. I didn't realize what I was doing at the time but this is why.) Or sometimes with meats I still feel hungry. Yes the meat is a heavy thing to eat but I also tended to over eat on the amount. 

When you are making a sandwich, don't just add lettuce. Top it with bell peppers or have them on the side. Get more veggies in your diets so that your body will trigger that I'm full signal and you will feel satisfied longer and more sustained until your next meal! 

A typical breakfast that I have is 2 egg whites (now whites to clean up my nutrition) and 1 whole egg. And 1 cup (or 1 green container for all you fixers out there) of bell peppers and onions. Plus I have 1/2 cup of oatmeal (2 yellows) with 1 tablespoon flaxseed (blue) (and just a

touch of honey to help with allergies), and an apple (purple). VOLUME! I am satisfied to full when I eat my breakfast!

And I am not talking about adding a salad to your dinner or lunch. I really dislike salads! They make me feel like I am dieting too much. I am talking adding in bell peppers to dip in hummus, or adding in caramelized onions on top of or with your chicken. Roasted butternut squash as a side sprinkled with cinnamon. Check out these Apple Cider Brussels Sprouts by Chef Chloe! These look awesome! Need helpful side dishes to get more veggies. PINTEREST is the best! Just go looking and you will find it! 

(Chef Chole's Apple Cider Brussels Sprouts)

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Morning Workout

Wanna start your morning out right! Just as you get out of bed and before that first cup of joe bust out this little morning workout to help you feel awake, energized and ready to take on the day! 

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You Never Know Who You Are Inspiring!

I hate to admit it but I am kinda of digging my new morning schedule. I am 4 for 4 this week on getting my workouts done early in the morning. I am waking up at 6am. Rolling out of bed by 6:30 and busting out my workouts first thing. 

Mason says every morning now, "I wanna workout with you mommy!" Music to my ears! Today though, he was holding my legs during one of my ab exercises (ouch!) and I asked him to stop. He said no. I said, "Do you want mommy to be healthy?" He said, "YEP!" and let go of my legs and sat on the couch and watched me. This kid wants his momma to be a healthy mom and I think he sees the importance of if! 

Never give up. Workout, exercise, eat clean in front of your kids. You never, ever know who you are inspiring!