May, and Freedom?!

This morning, I woke up and realized it was May 1. May...it's an interesting month, for sure. It's the end of many things ~ school, some students end their high school careers and graduate, the end of cold weather {hopefully!}; it's also the start of many things ~ summer, a new phase for seniors who have graduated, the start of warmer weather. For me, May is the beginning of summer. {Let me be honest, summer is based on when school is out with this current season of life we are in.}

However, this has not always been something I look forward to. In fact, it's something that has brought much dread. When my kiddos were little {before preschool}, it didn't matter too much...most days were the same, there was no real schedule or structure as there was no school, it was home all day with mom and whatever we had planned. Granted, we did some things, it's not like we sat at home all day, but there wasn't much structure to our days. {Which looking back as I type this might have been a small struggle for me! I thrive on order, structure and consistency.} However, once we started preschool, that gave us some structure with our days. Then, when summer came, it was gone. That was hard for me. Here I was, this mama of littles who didn't have a lot of tools in her parenting toolbox, home alone with no structure. Recipe for disaster. But, God sustained us, thankfully!

But, this morning, I realized how excited and ready for summer I am! This is huge progress, friends! It's made me look at why that is and what is different about this year verses years past. Part of it is what I mentioned above ~ the lack of structure, schedule {this summer we have lots of fun things planned that we are all excited for, which helps!}. Another part I think is the age our kids are at. They are at an age where they want to be with you and have fun with you, yet they are also old enough to do fun things like swim lessons, camps, etc. I think this is my "sweet spot" of parenting....where they need you, but not for everything. There is some independence there as well.

Another factor is me. Where I am at ~ spiritually, mentally, emotionally. {This might be the biggest factor, to be honest. My mentor always says "when parents get well, the kids get well." This has been so true in our home. This morning during my quiet time, I was reflecting on what is different. Well, God has healed me! That's a huge part of it. The other part of it is my nutrition has changed. I'm no longer eating chemicals and artificial foods that were doing who knows what to my body, but also my brain! There is a HUGE connection between what we eat and how it affects us ~ physically, of course, but also mentally and emotionally. {If you're unsure, check out the book "Brain Maker," by David Perlmutter, MD.} Proof is in the pudding they say ~ I can tell when I've had something I shouldn't have.....by how I act, how I think and how I feel. It's gotten to a point where my family notices too.

My struggle this morning, though, was how much is just God and His goodness healing me vs what I've done? I believe He has given me a part in this, and what He spoke to my heart this morning is that it's a partnership. He did His part, while I did mine. Just like the crippled man in John 5:7-9 ~ "The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me." 8 Jesus said to him, "Get up, pick up your pallet and walk." 9 Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk."

What happened there?  The crippled man needed some help.  Jesus told him to "get up, pick up your pallet and walk!"  Jesus told him to DO something!  There was action required on this mans' behalf....he had to DO something.  The result?  He was healed! That's what God revealed to me this morning....I was like the crippled man, needing to take action.  Jesus was there, ready, willing and able to do His part, BUT I needed to do mine as well.  It makes me wonder how many people miss out on things because they aren't taking action?  God is a God of action...the first two letters in GOspel are GO, as are the first two letters in GOd!  I think that means something, don't you?

The moral of my story is this ~ God has healed me, and that required me to take action and do something on my part.  Because of this, He has given me freedom!  I'm no longer in the place I was two or even three years ago....the chains no longer hold me back, no more bondage, no more depression, no more darkness.  This has changed my life! {And my family's, for that matter.}  The moral of the story for YOU is this ~ what is something God wants to free you from? Pray about it, ask Him and be willing to DO what He tells you to.  It's a partnership and for it to work, we have to do our part. Someone once said "doing what God called you to is obedience, but NOT doing what He called you to is disobedience." Truth right there.

Is there anything I can do for you?  If so, let me know.  Happy to pray for you, listen, talk.....He wants you to be free, and I do too!

Motherhood and How It's Changed Me.....

So, our little lady turned 8 on Sunday and to be honest, it made me pretty emotional.  In fact, looking at this picture makes my eyes well up with tears.  It's like looking at the last 8 years of my life and thinking how much life has changed in such a short amount of time, how much our family has changed, how much our children have changed and how much I have changed.  In sheer total transparency, which is how I like to roll, being a parent wasn't necessarily something I was on board with 100%.  Honestly, I think a lot of that was fear based.  Not knowing what to do, how to parent, knowing it was this HUGE responsibility, yet feeling ill equipped to do it, afraid of messing up.  See, lots of fears there. I did know that if we did have children, working full time wasn't something I wanted to do.  Staying home was something I was not certain of, but I did know full time wasn't an option if we didn't need me to.  {Thankfully, we didn't.}  Part time, perhaps, but not full time for sure.  {Not knocking full time working mamas, I just knew it wasn't for me.} 

I was introduced to the world of direct sales/network marketing before Chad and I were even married and that kind of planted the seed that when/if we had kids, I could be a work from home mama with my own business.  

When Lauren was born, I had been pretty successful with a party plan business and enjoyed it.  My plan was to take the maternity leave the company offered and return to doing parties after my leave was over in the fall. However, have you ever tried having a newborn that you were nursing while being at a party for 4+ hours, yah, not so much......the night of that party solidified that this wasn't the right decision for me.  However, I couldn't get the idea of not having a business out of my head.  The thought of having no outlet outside of poopy diapers, a breast pump, spit up on my clothes and all that goes with being a newborn mama wasn't the most appealing to me.  See, my personality tends to be Type A, productive, get 'er done, check if off the list, etc.  For me, motherhood didn't fulfill that part of me.  Now, don't get me wrong, I loved being a mama and was so thankful to be home with our daughter, but I also knew that for me, something was missing.  This pattern continued over time, with relocations across the country, me looking for part time jobs, at home opportunities, ways to fill that void and find something to do alongside of being a mama.

What is sad to me, in all of this, is that looking back on it now with who I am now, where I am now and what I know now, what I needed to work on was myself.  See, what I'm most thankful for about being a Beachbody coach is their emphasis on personal development. They ENCOURAGE and ADVOCATE for you to be reading/listening/watching personal development daily.  This one small tweak in my life has made such a difference in who I am today.  Of course, add that to the combination of exercise, clean eating and giving my body the nutrients it needs and I'm a MUCH BETTER mama now than I was when our little lady was born.  And, for that, I'm so thankful.  What makes me sad is the time I feel like I missed out on enjoying with my kiddos because of where I was.  

Who ever would have guessed that me saying yes to a 3 week program called the 21 Day Fix would make such an impact on me.  But, it did.  It taught me that I am worth investing in!  My health is important, not only for myself but for my family as well.  My family needs and deserves a healthy mama, and yours does too!  When I look at the pics above, I see a mama who HAD anxiety, depression, loss of identity, a life consumed by the daily t.v. show line up and what snack she could eat next, a mama who was unhappy. 

When I look at the pic below, I see a happy, healthy mama whose anxiety and depression have been lifted, who is thankful and happy and loves taking care of her family vs. dreading it.  The black cloud that once hung over me is now gone.  Part of that I believe, is from cleaning up my nutrition {heal the gut, heal the brain..more on that later} but most of it is due to Jesus, the great Healer.  He has changed me from the inside out!  Granted, I have worked with Him and done work; it's not just been a sit back and you do it all while I rest kind of a deal.  {Just like the Gospels are very active, God is a living God, the first 2 letters in God and Gospels are GO, after all!}

Becoming a coach wasn't on my radar, it wasn't something I sought out.  I believe it's something God brought to me.  When my health and mind changes started to happen, I knew He wanted others to feel this way too.  I believe He called me to be a coach so I can help support, encourage and lift up others who feel the way I did.  

If anything I've shared here resonates with you and you'd like to learn more about the clean eating, exercise and the lifestyle changes I've made, or perhaps you'd like to learn more about the business, please let me know.   I would be delighted to share more.  This whole journey has been such a blessing to me and my family and I would love to share it with you!  Part of my heartbeat is helping mamas who want to be able to be home find a way to make that happen.  Look forward to hearing from you!

That's a Wrap ~ 60 Days of The Master's Hammer and Chisel DONE!!!!

Well, that's a WRAP!  I just completed my FIRST 60 DAY PROGRAM, ever!  Yes, I've done SEVERAL Beachbody programs, but they have all been 21 day or 30 day programs, not 60 day programs.  In true transparency, it took me much longer than 60 days.  This is due to a few factors:

1. I teach Cize Live classes, so I needed to learn choreography and the routines for Cize Live.  This was my workout some days, so I didn't do Hammer & Chisel {H&C} on those days.
2. We went on a cruise!  While we did workout on the cruise, they were not H&C workouts on the ship.
3. I did a 3 day refresh after the cruise.  {Blog post with results is here.} It is suggested to not workout heavily during those 3 days. That's good enough reason for me to take rest days, lol!!!!

So, with that being said, here's my review of the program.

I did like the workouts.  I liked that they were short {35-40 minutes} and that I didn't sweat a lot. {Super honest, right?}  They fit well enough into my day that it wasn't too time consuming or too much work to fit them in. {Which is sometimes a concern in trying something new.}  There was quite a variety and with 2 trainers {Autumn and Sagi}, that added to some variety as well, which is always good!

The equipment I used was just some hand held weights, a medicine ball and a band. That's it.  We don't have a weight bench, so I just used the floor.  {There are modifications for that as well, which I appreciate.}  Again, truth be told, I likely could have/should have upped my weights, but didn't.  {Not a priority?  Or not sure how often they will get used?}

What about nutrition?  I love the fact that this program uses the portion control container system like the 21 Day Fix.  This is the program that changed my relationship with food and I've been doing it for two years, so it makes sense to me, I get it, I understand. Again, truth be told, I didn't follow the nutrition plan to a T.  I did have some cheats here and there, but ate clean for the majority of the program.  This program uses clean eating, portion control and of course Shakeology for nutrition.  Those are all things I had been doing before the program.

Results?  What about results?  Well, total coach fail here - gasp - I did not take before and after pics{so no free t-shirt for me, boo!}, or do my measurements and weight.  I wasn't doing this program to lose or gain anything, but more so to do something for 60 days that I thought I wouldn't be able to do.  So, for me, it was about pushing myself and becoming stronger than I already was. Sorry if that is a disappointment!  I just wanted to be sure my heart and motives were in the right place.  I can see a difference though!  Check out this pic below...pretty sure my arms didn't look like that before H&C!

If you have any questions about the program, or Shakeology or any Beachbody programs, please let me know.  I'd love to chat with you!

3 Day Refresh Update and Results

On Monday, I did another round of the 3 Day Refresh.  Honestly, I have a love/hate relationship with this particular program.  Let me explain.....

The first time I ever did the Refresh, our family was in the midst of a very uncertain time.  We knew we were relocating, due to Chad's job, yet didn't know where.  Our home had sold, and we were living in an apartment with some of our things, since the rest were in storage.  Since we were transitioning, we decided to homeschool, which was interesting.  {To say the least!}  You could say it was a season of mourning for me.  I was grieving the loss of my routine with kids being in school, our home and neighborhood, knowing we were moving and about to leave our friends and family in Sioux Falls, yet the uncertainty of when or where we would be going.  Did I mention that transition and I aren't the best of friends?  So, it was a tough time for sure.  Due to all of that, the refresh wasn't the best thing for me at that time.  The results were good, but emotionally with all we were going through, I wasn't a fan.  It wasn't that I didn't feel well, or was in the bathroom a lot or anything like that, it was just one more thing I felt that was being taken away from me during that time {food.}

However, since I'm not one to give up easily, I gave it another shot last fall.  Chad was traveling {he didn't think that was a great idea, but why not?}  Thankfully, the second round was much better. Some of it does have to do with hormones, I believe.  This second time, it was at a better time of the month for me ;)   And, this round was much better overall.  I felt great, liked the results, it did what it is intended to do.  {Personally, I believe what's going on in your life has a lot to do with how you feel about the refresh, just based on my experience.}

So, enter round three.  I just wrapped up yesterday.  This time was hard.  Again, might have something to do with hormones and time of the month....just sayin'.  We were back from our cruise, where I completely got off point with my nutrition {exercise was spot on, however! But you can't outrun a bad diet, so.....}, then it was Easter.  {Dang jelly beans! They are little, but they count!}  So, after the cruise and Easter, I was due.  Our normal way of eating is gluten and dairy free due to food intolerances.  {Not allergies, but intolerances. They are different.  If you'd like more info on this, please let me know.}  Needless to say, gluten and dairy were consumed on our cruise, as well as Easter {hello, Buckeye brownies and raspberry coffee cake!}  So, it was time for a refresh for me. Here are my thoughts after the 3rd round:

• My goal in doing this was not to lose weight, or even inches, but to tame my tongue from the sweets and junk I had eaten over the past few weeks.
• I was really tired the first day.  Thinking it might have been my body detoxing from all the junk it had in it.  {I was really off track.......}
• The second and third days were better, but by the third day, I was just ready to eat.
• It made me more aware of how often I eat during the day.  For the most part, I have a good nutrition routine that I stick to, and I was missing that {could be connected to the grieving from the first time?}  
• The inflammation and pain I was feeling were gone after the first day, which is a huge plus! {That's part of what wheat and dairy due to me}.
• I slept great and felt good for most of the 3 days.
• Results, to be honest, I lost 2.5 pounds, no inches....I may have actually gained some inches.  Not sure if that is possible, but it was early when I measured today.  Ha!

So, with my results and ah ha moments from this round, here are my thoughts:

• For me personally, I'm wondering about the quality of weight lost.  Since I didn't appear to lose inches, I'm curious if I lost water weight?  That's a bit odd to me, but just something to be mindful of.  What was lost?  Not sure we will ever know, but usually there are inches that accompany pounds lost on the scale.
• Will I do it again?  Honestly, not sure.  If I need to get back on track, more than likely.  If I feel the need to detox, probably.  To lose weight, probably not.  This is a great program for an event, like a wedding, class reunion, etc., but for me, not something I will do on a monthly basis.  I could maybe see quarterly, but certainly not monthly.

So, that's my honest review of the third round of the 3 Day Refresh.  If you have any questions, please let me know.  I'm a pretty open book and always happy to help.

The Personal Importance of Fitting In, To Me....

Technology is an interesting thing, isn't it?  I have the Timehop app on my phone, but truth be told, it rarely gets looked at.  Yet, for some reason, it caught my eye today.  This post is what I found.  {If you haven't read it yet, please do so.}  In the way of true transparency, which is how I strive to live, there have been some struggles lately. Nothing life changing, major, anything like that, but some struggles none the less. Doubts, questions....the like.

There have been opportunities that have arisen that have caused these thoughts/feelings/emotions, as well as circumstances, as well as questions asked by others.  Then of course, you have the whole picture vs. reality tension that I live in a lot. Seeing things one way, but the reality doesn't match that picture.  Anyone know what I'm talking about there?  So, all that to say, some things have led up that brought me to this place.  Yet, I'm thankful in the midst of it because since returning from our cruise, a goal of mine has to be more intentional with my time.  To slow down and hear the voice of God. He speaks in a still small voice that requires us to be still and listen.  Yet, when our lives are so full and chaotic and over-programmed, it is harder to hear Him.  At least that has been my experience.

So, today, I was reflecting on the blog post mentioned above and my dad.  Wondering what he would be like if he were alive, wondering what I would be like, what our family would be like.....just wondering.  I am curious, you know!  Then, as I was sitting silently in our bedroom taking a mommy time-out {for real, it's spring break here, folks!}, it hit me.  The reason fitting in has always been such a struggle for me.  You might not know that but since I can remember, fitting in has been something I have so desperately wanted.  It doesn't matter where, or with who, it was just important to me to fit in, to be accepted.  In school, starting in elementary years, all the way through high school.  Then, off to college, joining the sorority, and 50 million other organizations on campus {hello!} it continued. {Side note, God always makes everything work for our good {Romans 8:28}.  I became a Christian because I wanted to fit in....that's another story for another time, but ask me about it if you'd like!} This pattern continued past college, way into adulthood.  It's like I was this little girl walking up to people or groups trying to fit in with a piece of velcro asking "do I stick to you?  Do I fit here?"  Have you ever felt that way?

Well, back to sitting silently in our bedroom {another way to tell it's spring break, I'm chatty because there has been ZERO adult interaction today, eeek!!!}, God showed me the reason I struggle with fitting in is because of my childhood.   See, my mom remarried when I was young and as a result, I was the only one in our family with a different last name.  The rest of the family had the same last name, but not me.  Stick out like a sore thumb much?  Somehow that lie got planted there that I don't fit in with my family, so why would I fit in anywhere else?  Thank God for showing me the root of the lie, so I can stand on the TRUTH of HIS WORD and defeat that! Isn't He good like that?

Thanks for reading, was pretty excited about this revelation and had to share to give Him the glory! He will draw near to those who draw near to Him, so draw near, friends!  {James 4:8}.  Love you, friends!

A Very Full Heart ~ Post SS Beachbody Cruise

Hello there!  Sorry that it's been so long since I've written.  Life has been busy lately.  If I'm super honest, it's been too busy.  We are just back from a wonderful 5 day vacation on the SS Beachbody and it was ah-mazing!  It was truly just what Chad and I needed.  Life has been crazy since moving to Indiana a year and a half ago, plus jumping into leading the youth ministry at our church, added to not having vacationed in over two years combined with work, children, and well, life.....it was much needed!

In sheer honesty before the trip, I was struggling....struggling with responsibility. Struggling with juggling all of the balls in my life.  Struggling with purpose.  Struggling with passion.  Struggling with the call of God on my life.  Yes, folks, I was riding the struggle bus BIG TIME!  But, some time away gave me some time to reflect and a perspective.  On the flight there, I read the book "Breaking Busy," and it totally hit home in so many areas. There are questions and exercises to work through and those were most beneficial to me!  I think God had me do that before our trip because He knew I needed to REST and RELAX on the boat!  So, the journey started before we even stepped onto the ship.

Getting onto the ship, nervousness hit me. Would I fit in?  Would everyone be in a bikini rocking a perfect body?  Who would be on the trip?  Will I be accepted?  A lot of insecurity, looking back.  The first night we had dinner with our team, which was great.  I know and really enjoy those people so it was good to connect. 

 

The rest of the time, Chad and I were on our own and kind of did our own thing. We did the daily workouts which were awesome! How cool to have celebrity trainers on the boat with us?  Autumn Calabrese, creator of the 21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix Extreme and Hammer and Chisel, as well as Sagi Kalev, Body Beast and Hammer and Chisel, as well as Joel and Jericho from Les Mills were who kicked our booties daily!  Tony Horton was also there, but we did not participate in his workout. :( We also connected with some other coaches I knew beforehand, and also met some new ones which was great!  

The beautiful thing to me is that each person is SO different ~ we look different, we have different upbringings, different lifestyles, different shapes, different seasons of life, but we all have ONE thing in common....that is to HELP OTHERS!  For me, more than anything, my vision and mission for helping was increased on this trip!  There is no stereotypical Beachbody coach, we all just have a HEART to help!  Being with like minded people was great!

There is a coach who is also a pastor who was on the trip.  He graciously led a worship service twice on the cruise!  It was incredible to worship Jesus in the open air under a beautiful sun and hear a great word from the Lord.  Pastor Matt preached on the parable of the talents and talked about passion and purpose and what God is calling you to do.  It was very timely for me!

One of my favorite parts was having Chad experience this with me!  He hasn't had an opportunity to attend Beachbody events before, so this was a great time to hear from our CEO, Carl Daikler and other top coaches in the network.  It was great having him there with me and being a part of this world that means so much to me.  

CEO, Carl Daikler

For me, I left with a renewed sense of encouragement.  This is such a strong company whose mission is truly to help others be the best they can be, which is my heartbeat.  I have spent too many years not believing I was worth it, which is a lie from the devil.  The truth is I am a child of God and He gives good gifts to His children.  The same goes for you reading this, too!  Yes, I have been in several other companies before, but this one is SO MUCH different from any one I have been with before.

If you feel led to learn more about coaching, please ask, I would love to share!  Our team is also hosting an event this coming week where we will share the following:

• What coaching is
• How to get started
• How to make money
• How to build a business from home

If you would like to learn more, please let me know.  There is no commitment, this is just information.  If you're at all curious about how this works, please join us!  You are also welcome to fill out this form.

Thanks for reading....I'm sure God will give me more to share with you as I continue on this journey......

XO,
Melissa

Why and What I Learned From Going Off of Shakeology

I bet ya never thought you'd read a post written by me with that title, did you?  Yup, it's true.  I went off of Shakeology.  Here's why:

* I have been a daily Shakeology drinker for almost the last two years.  I haven't gone a day without it.  As a result, I didn't know what life was like "before," because I was so used to being on it, ya know?

* For me to be telling people why they need it and what it does for them, I needed to know, believe and experience it for myself.  Its important for me to be a person of integrity and for me, that means "walking the walk," and "talking the talk."  In order to be that person, I had to make sure what I have been sharing is truth.  The only way to know was to go off the product and see what happened.

So, after being off the product, here's what I found:
* Day 1, I was crabby, irritable, had a dull headache and didn't poo all day.  {This was odd for me.  Hope this isn't TMI, but before Shakeology, I was not regular with this.  Being on Shakeology made me like clock work.  I miss the clock work, ha ha!} 

* Day 2, I wasn't as crabby and irritable, but still had a dull headache all day.  I did go poo this day, but again, not like clock work.   Us busy mamas gotta have the predictability, ya know?  Surprisingly, my cravings weren't too bad on day 1 and day 2, maybe because it was a faster paced day?  I wasn't awake as long? Not sure.....

* Day 3, well this was the hardest day for sure. I wasn't crabby and irritable anymore {yay!}, I didn't poo again  {grrrr......}, but my cravings were out of control!  I was hungry all day and wanting to eat everything in sight! Thankfully, we don't have junk food in our house or that would have been consumed quickly by me, for sure!  Dull headache still present, but not as bad.  The interesting thing is that my diet was pretty much the same all three days, but by day three, I definitely felt like I was missing something and just not "satisfied" after eating.

So, where do I go from here?  

I'm glad you asked!  After 3 days of being off of Shakeology, I'm so ready to go back on it! On day three, the thought hit me "if this has been a good thing, why are you messing with it?"  Good point :)  Again, I needed to know that I am sharing truth and not just something I've been led to believe.  For me personally, my nutrition was so off before doing the 21 Day Fix and Shakeology coming into my life that I was VERY deprived of vitamins, nutrients, minerals, probiotics, prebiotics, etc.  I do believe that Shakeology has helped me with my nutrition 100%.   I also like that it is a protein source.  For me, protein is the food group I lack in the most. Fruits, veggies, carbs, fats, those are easy, but the protein, that's always been my struggle. Shakeology is easy, convenient, quick and tastes ah-mazing!  I firmly believe it helps me with my sugar cravings and also keeps me fuller longer.  So, after three days of being off and being irregular, irritable and hangry {yes, that's a term.  It's hunger + angry  =hangry.} by day 3, I'm ready to go back on.  Why mess with a good thing after all, right?

Thanks for reading!  Let me know if you'd like to try Shakeology.  Always happy to share!