Road to Freedom

Today was a big day for my business.  Thursdays are paydays in the Beachbody world (once a week – woot!), and I hit a big benchmark today.  I had an amount in my mind that I considered a full-time income.  And I reached that today – almost exactly 15 months to the day after I started this journey.  Zero to full-time income.  In very part-time hours.  It’s a little surreal looking at it, honestly.  In the best possible way.   

Talking about money makes a lot of people uncomfortable.  It used to make me VERY uncomfortable.  But I don’t see money now the same way that I did then.  It’s not about status or judgement, and it doesn’t define anything about me or my life.  What it represents to me now is FREEDOM.  I have a job that I love that is MOBILE.  I can live anywhere.  We can travel anywhere at any time (well…as long as  school schedules allow…).   And the beautiful thing about the income, is that it is never static.  If I continue growing as a coach and a leader, the income follows me.  For someone who likes to work hard and be fairly rewarded, this has been the most exciting career ever.  I got a message from one of my coaches today, saying that she is getting to cut back from working 3 days a week at her “day job”, to working 2 days a week now – all because of her Beachbody paycheck.  Watching other people’s lives change for the better is almost more fun that watching my own life change.

Matt and I are making plans we would never have dreamed about two years ago.  We used to go round and round with our plans for the future.  How to improve our situation….make our lives a little easier or more fun.  We kept hitting a wall.  Not anymore.  We have options, and lots of them.  I can’t tell you what a relief that is!  And so, today we get to take a deep breath, and celebrate.  And then get back to work. :) (cause I LOVE it!!)  

Need help with your health and fitness journey?  Contact me HERE!

The Dishes Are (Not) Done, Man

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead?  Anybody?  I can't tell you how many times I watched that movie in the 90s.

After being a mom for over six years now, I can tell you one thing for sure.  If you are a parent, there are certain tasks in your life that will never be done.  Ever.  Dishes, laundry, and clutter top my list.  I really like finishing tasks.  I like a clean sink.  I like clothes being clean, folded, and put away.  And I really like being able to walk in my house without slipping, tripping, or otherwise injuring myself.  But sadly, this is not the life stage where that is going to happen all the time.  Or even most of the time.  And I am trying to gracefully accept that.  Sippy cups are breeding in my cabinets and threatening to take over the house.  Of course, when you need a clean one, good luck.  And my response to "where are Luke's pjs?" is often, "in the dryer!"  Things are not as I would like.  But I am going to release the pressure to be perfect, and embrace that this is part of my journey as a mom, and do my best at that, as I do my healthy eating and exercise.  Those things are never done either.  Doesn't mean I won't try to get it right, but when I don't, there is grace.  And imma need some of that.  Stay hopeful, friends!

Need help with your health and fitness journey?  Contact me HERE!

From Flab to Fab

Between our Spring Break vacation in Disney World, and loads of stress the past month, I have been a little off my game lately.  I actually stuck to my paleo diet the majority of the time in Disney (whenever I could, and I worked hard at planning), but things still get out of whack sometimes when you're on vacation.  And I wasn't doing my normal workouts.  So, that week I probably gained 2 pounds.  Not terrible for a vacation, but I'm hard on myself.

Since we've been back, things have been a little crazy.  Health issues, work stress, and general chaos of being a parent of young children have taken a toll.  And I've found myself standing in front of the pantry, numbing my general displeasure with life events with almond butter far too often.  I talk about almond butter a lot.  It's a vice of mine.  There's not a whole lot of exciting snacks I can have these days, and well, almonds ground into a paste is simply awesome.  So, instead of losing the 2 pounds from vacation, I pretty much kept them and added another couple.  And while 4 pounds seems ridiculous to fret about, it's enough to make me uncomfortable.  Just kinda blah.  Things don't fit quite like they did, and I tend to gain all my weight in my mid-section.  I'll never have large arms - it's just not gonna happen.  And when my belly gets squishy, I get frustrated.  And I was just feeling icky about myself today.  So, I decided to get some perspective.  I did my workout, which I've been consistent with since we got back, and am improving on every day.  I'm stronger than I've ever been in many ways.  There are exercises I could never do before, and I can now.  Pretty cool.  And I'm proud of my body - it has been a home for my babies and a vessel to take care of them.  I can walk, run, and shoot baskets with Luke in the backyard.  I am blessed.

So, I decided to take some pictures of what a real body looks like from different angles.  Sometimes all you need to feel better is some good lighting and a little makeup.  You don't have to have a thigh gap or a six pack to be beautiful.  So many of the images we see and compare ourselves to all the time are simply not real.  Between photo shop and filters, we're just never going to measure up.  So, here's my flab, in all it's glory.  And some more flattering pics, to prove to myself that a little tummy flab is not the end of the world.  My weight, my flab, my imperfections do not define me.  My strength, my attitude, and my actions do.  And I'm going to continue to work on those for the rest of my life.  Stay hopeful, friends!!

Need help with your health and fitness journey?  Contact me HERE!