Elyse Cheyenne: 6 Months

Baby girl is officially half a year old! CRAZY Thought but man, time is just speeding by. She is getting so big and feisty and her personality...SHE IS A SPITFIRE! She is a generally well tempered baby, but she has found her voice when she wants to. And it is a specific cry of "MOM! COME GET ME!" that she really wails on! Gotta love her though.

STATS: 

13 pounds 6.8 ounces

24.25 inches tall

Her favorite activity: Watching her brothers. You can tell that she just loves them so very much because she allows her big brother to carry her around the house. And she loves getting hugs, kisses and attention from them. She still doesn't roll from back to front. But she has gone up onto all 4's prepping for crawling. She will sit tripod with her hands bracing her on the ground but she just prefers to be on her belly and watch that way, or have her oldest brother hold her. She isn't too picky.

6 months here and gone. I am so blessed that this little sweet pea is part of our family. I am striving every single day to be the best example for her. So that I can show her why having a healthy body is so important and to love yourself no matter what. In the end. I want to be the best example for her to help her not have to through what I went through as a teen. 

PICTURE OVERLOAD! 

Kisses for mommy

She even joined me in a couple workout videos: 

My mini-me!

March 23 she got up onto all 4's! Her first yoga pose! Momma's so proud!!

Kisses for brother

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FREE Health & Fitness Online Support Community

I AM SO EXCITED! My FREE health and fitness private daily motivation, inspiration and education group to help women find balance in their every day life by connecting the dots to their fitness, health and life has reached 100 members! And there is still plenty of room to grow!

This Group is FOR YOU if:

• you know you deserve to live a life that has more balance and you can’t wait to wake up to & are making it happen/are ready to make it happen
• are a busy mom struggling to fit a healthy lifestyle into your life around your family
• struggling to fit workouts in daily
• struggling with healthy eating and how to make it work
• you want to feel amazing
• you want more out of life
• you are committed to succeeding and refuse to quit because YOU DESERVE IT
• you are an action taker
• you want to be surrounded by a community of women who want more out of life
• you share & give value to others

Ready to join the community yet? Request to join by CLICKING HERE! 

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!

Elyse's Double Frenectomy

Last Monday we finally took Elyse to an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor to get her checked for a tongue tie. I personally have one, the ENT called it a tethered tongue and when I was 13, just before I had my braces put on, I had to get my frenulum cut off.

A frenectomy is simply the removal of the frenum in the mouth. A frenum is a muscular attachment between two tissues. There are two frena (plural form of frenum) in the mouth that can sometimes require the need to be removed. One of the frena connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth and the others connect the inside of your upper and lower lip to your gums.

My frenulum under my upper lip was cut because I had a MASSIVE gap between my two front teeth and the frenulum would have hindered my teeth closing by braces.  I also have a tongue tie but at the time, the ENT didn't clip it, should have but it wasn't medically necessary.

With each of our kids, I asked our pediatrician to check for tongue ties because of my condition, since they have my smile and all. But the pediatrician said that they weren't severe enough to require it. After talking with another doctor and realizing that the pain I was having while nursing on one side wasn't normal we decided to have Elyse checked. I never had any pain with the boys, but looking back I believe the reason why Collin wasn't as good at nursing was because he is also tethered quite a bit which led to him weaning way earlier than I wanted at 9 months old.

While at the appointment the doctor confirmed that she did have a tongue tie and she was clipped right then and there in the office. Easy little procedure and right when it was done she nursed right away, PAIN FREE! It was the first time since she was born I didn't have any pain. And since, she has been thriving on the breast. There was very little bleeding from her, and my breastmilk helped to speed the healing.

POINTS TO LOOK FOR WITH TONGUE TIES IN AN INFANT

1) Pain while nursing
2) Breast not being emptied efficiently or with effort
3) Dimple in the middle of the tongue when baby is sticking it out
4) Doesn't have a good range of motion with tongue
5) Square ended tongue

For the past week before every feeding, I have had to do a sweet under her tongue and under her lip to help promote movement and so that the tissue doesn't grow back together. Elyse obviously doesn't like it, but once she starts feeding she is fine. And if it is decided that this has to happen, it should happen before 6 months as that is when the frenulum start to thicken up more. We just barely caught the cut off. On a plus side, our little beauty has an even wider smile now!

We did have Collin checked but he is so much older, and the frena are thicker that it would require him to be sedated for the procedure and it would be cosmetic at this point unless it hinders with his speech and a speech pathologist recommends that he get it done. And so far, it isn't.

If you have concerns about if your child should have a tongue tie or not, speak with their pediatrician or check with an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor.

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!

6 Months: Postpartum Update

Exercise: I am still doing most workouts of 21 Day Fix. Working more with focusing on form. I've been streaming all of my workings using the Beachbody On Demand with the all access pass. 

Weight: Pre-pregnancy weight:237.7. Weight morning of birth: 265. Current weight April 1: 243.9. I gained back the 2.8 pounds I lost the previous month. I was aiming for min of 2 pounds lost, max of 4. Honestly, I wasn't very good with my nutrition as I was eating too many yellow containers (carbs, even healthy carbs).

April Goals: I am still aiming to lose 1 pound a week since I am exclusively breastfeeding. 4 pounds would be great by the end of the month. Goal for eating is to follow the meal plan 90% of the time, not eating too many carbs this month even though I am allowing myself an extra yellow, but only when I truly need it. I am still allowing 1 meal a week to be not what I would normally eat. In all honestly, the accountability from sharing my journey and in my groups is what is keeping me going everyday. I have a natural drive to exercise and eat right, but I have even more of a kick to just KICK BUTT and show everyone that it is possible to lose weight while breastfeeding. (interested in joining my private support groups? Send me an email or comment below!)

Today is day 1 of my 30 Days To A Healthy Lifestyle Change in my EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group if you are interested in joining us and are ready to order CLICK HERE and I will send you an email 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!

Weekly Calendar Planning Tips

The biggest reason why most people don't exercise daily is because of a lack of time. There are 24 hours in the day, but sometimes 24 hours is not long enough. Kids, appointments, activities, cleaning, cooking, spouses obligations...the list goes on and on! But what are you spending your time on? What is taking up all of your time? And how do you find enough time to get your workout in during the day with everything else going on? Let's take just a little time and map out your entire week to see how you can fit it in with everything else going on.

1) Sit down and plan out your entire day, every day for a week. Write out the following:
Work schedule for you and spouse

Recurring appointments for you, the kids and spouse (i.e. music lessons, boy scouts, weekly church activities)

Doctor appointments

Special or extra appointments

2) Schedule in 30 minutes for everyday for your workout because that is all you need with the 21 Day Fix which you can get in the Beachbody On Demand All Access Pass to get an AMAZING workout, also list what workout you are going to be doing.

3) Pick a date night and schedule that in too! Yep because it is important to spend some quality time with your spouse or partner. Even if it is a stay at home and watch a Netflix show together. 

4) Then pick 1 hour a week to schedule in meal planning and weekly calendar scheduling. 

Now look at your calendar. Do you see open spaces? I bet you do. Now, if you followed this plan, can you fit everything that is important in your life into your day? And look you already scheduled in your workout! Here's the thing. We are spending too much time watching TV, playing on Facebook, getting lost on Pinterest. Save those for your blank times in your day. We all have some time to do our workouts we just have to decide how we want to spend our time. And honestly, you can totally watch TV and workout at the same time. Have your Beachbody on Demand running on your phone and your tv on at the same time! We are women, we rule at multitasking! 

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.

10 Tips For Breaking Plateaus

You're going to struggle. You're going to have ups and downs. You're going to want to quit. You're going to call the trainer for your workout every name in the book and that's ok! IT'S TOTALLY NORMAL!!! Here are my favorite tips to keep you going when you feel like you want to quit or you hit a plateau! 

1) Are you doing your workouts every single day? Are you sick of them? If so switch. Are you doing them “more lightly?” (No insult intended; Iv’e done that when down). Pep, pep, pep. Take your troubles to the mat!

2) What about changing up something. Like - can you switch your greens for different greens. Example dark leafy greens for broccoli, or instead of broccoli and spinach or whatever is usual for you, maybe bok choy and green chard etc. Cabbage, dandelion greens…Whatever you don’t usually eat. 

3) Same with proteins. If you have a lot of meat maybe eat lentils or beans. For one week.
What are you using for carbs? How about no bread for a week or only 1 a day. Instead, stick to whole, whole, whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, etc. And sweet potatoes

4) Are you weighing and measuring? Do it for one week just to track. Easy-to-fall categories can be fats, salad dressings, peanut butter, ready things, milk subs in coffee…sometimes these things can get out of hand without our even noticing. 

5) Are you eating 3 meals a day? Maybe switch to the smaller amounts but 5 times a day (or vice versa) 

6) Try having your last bit of food 2.5 hours before bed. 

7) How about types of food. Do you usually make mixed dishes like casseroles and stews? For now, if that’s the case, switch to protein next to 2 cooked veggies or 1 cooked and one salad and 1/2 a potato. 

8) Are you following your food plan? Rather than relying on how you feel or what you think, during this difficult time. Are you eating more prepared foods? Easy to make ones. Meal prep one day a week so you spend less time in the kitchen each night and more time with your family. 

9) One glass of water before every meal AND first thing when you what up.

10) Remember - it’s all just for now. You make some changes to get through NOW. You can always decide later, later.

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!

30 Days To A Healthy Lifestyle Change Program

I am so excited to announce my upcoming group for April! 30 DAYS to a SIMPLE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CHAGE! It has taken me years to put these pieces together and to realize that it only takes 5 steps to make a true healthy lifestyle change combined with dedication and commitment of course. I want to share my tips with you to help you get control of your life and to stop yo-yo dieting and have the life you desire and deserve!

WHAT IS IT? 
A live group program to help you make a complete lifestyle change in 5 simple steps over the course of a 30 days.

WHAT WE'RE COVERING:

WEEK ONE: MEAL PLANNING
- Healthy nutrition choices
- Weekly meal planning
- Learning which easy foods to prep ahead of time
- Learning to stick with what you plan no matter what

WEEK TWO: BECOME A SCHEDULING SUPERSTAR
- Weekly scheduling of your everyday activities
- Creating nightly habits to prepare for the next days activities
- Partnering with your spouse to be on the same page with the family calendar, budgeting and finances

WEEK THREE: HEALTHY MINDSET CHANGE
- Change mindset from dieting and exercise to a lifestyle way of thinking
- Learning and understanding the 80/20 rule- Perfection does not exist
- Accepting you and loving yourself

WEEK FOUR: GOAL SETTING AND TURNING YOUR MOTIVATION INTO A HABIT
-Goal setting with a purpose using action steps
-Finding your motivation and creating habits
-Celebrating your success along the way

WHAT'S INCLUDED:

DAILY SUPERFOOD NUTRITION: 30 day supply of super dense nutrition with Shakeology. Help to cut your cravings and get the vitamins and minerals your body needs to help you be healthy from the inside out.

EXERCISE PROGRAM OF YOUR CHOICE: 1 (one) year membership to Beachbody on Demand with access to unlimited online streaming of over 40 of the most popular workout programs, including bonus workouts, content nutrition plans and exclusive trainer only content. Plus immediate access to any new workout program released during the year by Beachbody.

FOUR 30 MINUTE LIVE GROUP TRAININGS: webinar style with Q&A following. Calls are recorded.
             
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS: Guides, workbooks, tutorials, and even example so that you know what to do and how to put all the pieces together.

ACCESS TO MY EXCLUSIVE GROUP: Private FB group. This gives you access to me to ask questions, support, daily motivation and accountability, request feedback, etc.

YOUR INVESTMENT:
$199 $160!!!! PRICE HAS BEEN REDUCED FOR A 20% discount for a limited time only! CLICK HERE TO ORDER!  Beachbody All Access Annual Pass giving you unlimited access to Beachbody on Demand online streaming, your first 30 day supply of Shakeology, and the nutrition fix color coded containers to help with portion control and eating the right foods for your body. Plus you get access to my exclusive group, me as your coach and mentor. 1:1 support. Daily motivation and accountability. Guide, workbook, tools,  Community of people going through the process just like you.

HOW TO JOIN: 
CLICK HERE to order your Beachbody on Demand and Shakeology and I will personally send you the link to join the private Facebook group and program information.

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!

Homemade Flavored Popcorn Recipes

Friday nights have become our pizza and movie nights. Generally we set up a picnic in front of our TV and enjoy our dinner right on the floor. To go along with our movie night we typically get movie theater style candy and kettle corn or buttered popcorn to enjoy. But why not make the popcorn into candy too? We usually use microwave popcorn to make things easier on us, because you just pop it in the microwave and it's done in a flash. Or check out SkinnyPop Popcorn. Pre-popped popcorn made with just popcorn, sunflower oil and salt.

We decided to spice things up and try our own flavored popcorn. Check out the follow 3 recipes to meet your savory, sweet and healthy needs with a Shakeology inspired recipe. Get your healthy on with Chocolate Shakeology. With 70 superfoods, chalk full of probiotics, pre-biotics, healthy enzymes, vitamins and minerals, it is the one daily shake that I love and trust my health to)! 

1 bag Popped corn
1 tsp or more Homemade Fajita Seasoning (see below for recipe)

Once popcorn is popped, immediately sprinkle with seasoning. A little or a lot. Your choice.
Stir to lightly coat your popcorn.

Fajita Seasoning: (great for chicken, rice and veggies too!)


Ingredients:
¼ cup Chili Powder
2 tablespoons Sea Salt
2 tablespoons Paprika
1 tablespoon Onion Powder
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Cayenne Powder (optional)
1 tablespoon Cumin Powder

Combine in a cute little spice container and use when you need it!

1 bag popped corn
5 oz chopped dark chocolate

Pop corn and lay out on a tinfoil or parchment paper lined cookie sheet. 
Pick out and throw away all un-popped corn kernels. Set tray with usable popcorn aside. 
Add 1 inch of water to a medium saucepan or pot and bring to a very gentle simmer.
Place a heat-safe bowl on top of the pot so that the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water.
Add the chopped chocolate to the bowl and stir occasionally with a spatula until smooth and melted. 
Drizzle melted chocolate over popcorn
Let cool in fridge for 5 minutes until set.
Break apart and enjoy!

1 bag popped corn
2 Tbsp chocolate Shakeology powder

Pop corn and pour into a bowl
Sprinkle with Shakeology powder while popcorn is still hot. 
Stir to lightly coat your popcorn.
Enjoy! 

In the end Collin loved the Chocolate Shakeology Dusted Popcorn. Mason and Matt loved the Melted Chocolate Drizzle Popcorn. And I loved the Southwestern Style Popcorn! 

outtakes: Cause when there is melted chocolate around, you gotta lick the spatula! 

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!

Tips To Combat Emotional Eating

I am an emotional eater. Always have been. And it is something that I have learned to live with. It will never go away. But what I have gained over the past couple of years is HOW to manage my emotional eating so that I am not a victim to it anymore and so I can choose when I want to eat a sweet treat vs I have to eat it to help me feel better. 

Even just a few years ago while I was going through what became my second miscarriage, I was eating my feelings. Any news I got regarding that pregnancy, every couple of days after a blood draw, I would go and get an ice cream cone in a waffle cone from a local shop. In just 7 weeks I gained 15 pounds. From ice cream and not caring what I was putting into my body, even though I was pregnant. I wanted ice cream. So I ate it. But that miscarriage was really the turning point for me. Because a couple weeks after that miscarriage, I joined the gym. And a couple weeks after that I signed up for my first 5k race. And a week after that I participated in my first 5k race and met Janet who is now one of my closest friend and helped inspire me to be a coach! 

If you struggle with emotional eating. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! And it will take time to overcome it and learn to handle it. And just like any addict, you have to learn to live with it every day and ultimately make better choices when you have a "emotion" type of day that triggers a binge attack.

This lesson is coming straight from my 30 Days To A Healthy Lifestyle Change Program workbook in Week 3! Which is all about making a healthy mindset change! Check it out and get a sneak peek into my workbook!

As you begin to improve your health your emotions will also improve, but that doesn’t mean you're going to be free an clear from emotional eating. It may still pop up no matter how many improvements you’ve been making. 

The next time you find yourself trying to feed your emotions, take these steps instead. Ask yourself: 

What emotion am I trying to feed? 

Am I bored? 

Am I Stressed? 

Am I Angry? 

It’s ok to have these feelings. Sit with them and acknowledge them. But the goal is to make healthy swaps and learn the steps to help you not fall into the same unhealthy mental pattern you have been in. 

Ask yourself:

What is your biggest trigger for emotional eating? 

What action steps can you make right now that will help the situation causing your distress? 

Next, find something else to fill that void…Here are some ideas to try:

• go for a walk

• call a friend

• workout

• take a bubble bath

• light some candles

• create a dream board or vision board

• revisit your goals

• read a book

• get lost on Pinterest

• meditate

• go for a pedicure

• do yoga

• google motivational quotes

• pick out your goal outfit to reward yourself with at the end of this challenge

• watch a funny movie

• write in your journal

• look up new healthy recipes

• write a thank you note to someone who made your day

• reconnect with an old friend on Facebook

• clean your house

• window shop at the mall

Make a list RIGHT NOW of 10 things you can do to help fight against emotional eating. And the next time you are having a hard day, pull out this list and try out a few of the ideas on it. Make a note if it worked or not. And keep adding to the list of new things you can do to help you next time when you need it.

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!