I'm over weight so what? I like being big!

"I am over weight so what? I like being big!" I have actually heard people say this before. They are overweight but they don't care they have become comfortable in their own skin. And this is a good thing. I love people with confidence in themselves. But unfortunately no matter how comfortable you say you are there are too many side effects to being over weight and obese too ignore to allow yourself to continue living your life in such a manner.

It is important to recognize that monitoring your weight is more than just vanity. There are health issues and complications that come with being over weight, that can be prevented! I know people "know" the side effects.Heart disease, clogged arteries, heart attacks strokes, sleep apnea, more susceptible to get cancer, type 2 diabetes, inability to conceive and the list goes on and on.  But how often do we study it and actually apply what we learn? And in all honesty if you are not losing weight, then what you are doing is not working. (If you are trying to lose weight or if you say you eat clean and healthy but are still over weight) The truth is whether your eggs or organic or not, if it is grass fed beef vs non grass fed doesn't matter if you have 30-60 lbs of extra weight on your body, it won't matter how organic your food is, that extra weight alone will kill you.

I am sitting here and I am getting worked up. I so desperately want people to understand that there are true health issues that come along with obesity and they are devastating! And they are not necessary! I think this is what bothers me the most. We blame McDonald's and processed foods and the chemicals they put on the fruit. We point fingers yet we never look inward. Because no matter what type of food you put in you I have noticed that there are still obese people. There are people who eat gluten free this and organic that yet they are obese.  And honestly it blows my mind and makes me wonder...are they are still either over eating , are they not exercising or there is something else going on medically. And if you are still over eating and collecting fat in your body...does it matter where the food comes from? NOPE fat stored in your body is fat stored in body.

Now the truth is fat is not our enemy. Our bodies were designed to process fat. Healthy fats that is and only a certain amount a day is needed. But no matter what it is we are eating if we eat more than we burn off our bodies turn the excess into fat. This fat is what is so dangerous to people.This is what turns into plaque in your arteries and the fat sticks on your rib cage and puts pressures on your organs and effects how they function.

I remember when the TV show The Biggest Loser first came out. I remember seeing for the first time the pictures of what the fat was doing underneath to a person's body. It shocked me and upset me. I remember them saying how all that fat was pushing on the organs, taking up their space. I could see why it would make it hard for them to breathe and walk. It was heartbreaking.

Above is an example of something I saw a few years ago. As you can see from the picture above some fat is good, it provides cushioning and keeps us warm and gives us energy. The over accumulation of it however as you can see severely effects your insides. It looks like the organs have almost disappeared. Also what is happening here is all of that fat is putting pressure on your organs, it is extra weight on your joints and your heart as to work harder to keep up. 

Excess weight=excess work for you body= excess disease and injuries. 

So at the end of the day obesity is preventable. If we educate ourselves and apply what we learn to our lives. If you learn how to eat right and exercise but don't exercise - eating right will only take you so far. If you exercise and never eat right....you can still gain fat! I am in no way trying to promote eat whatever you want as long as you are a certain weight. What I am trying to convey is how important it is to check our weight and exercise and eat right to maintain proper health. And not just for a short period of time or to diet but for a lifetime. I am trying to stress why it is so important to pay attention and monitor our health. I am trying to educate people on the importance of our health and taking care of ourselves now so we won't have to struggle more than we have to later on in life. Heck so you can start feeling better now! 

I have one question for you: Where are you going to spend the rest of your life?

You may not know the answer, but I do...in your body. No matter what state or city or town you will be in the body you are in now and until the day you die. How are you going to treat it? How are you going to take care of it? Are you realistic about where you are with your health? Do you realize the health implications of NOT taking care of yourself?

You health is your wealth! Don't wait until it is too late to start taking care of yourself! It is never too late to start living a healthy lifestyle!  Fill out the contact form if you need help getting started!

The Secret to Balancing it all!

"There are never enough hours in a day." I find myself saying this over and over.  As a mother we all know the work never ends. As soon as we fold and put away one load of laundry another laundry basket is full to the brim. As soon as you finish cleaning the kitchen after lunch time it is snack time. On and on it goes all day long. Somewhere in between all of the normal daily tasks a mother also likes to find time to be herself. Which can feel like very impossible at times.

As a busy mom, how does one find time to manage it all while still making time for herself?

I want to encourage you in this: It is possible. As a mom you have the right to be you. In fact it is probably better for your family and friends if you are able to stay authentic to who you are. It is when we loose ourselves completely that we become  depressed, un-happy and we find ourselves with nothing left to give. In order to keep giving we must make time to receive.

I love this quote, because I think it hits the nail on the head and is the secret to having balance in your life. Balance is not something you find it is something you create. So Powerful, uplifting and encouraging! It means this: balance is in your control! You don't have to fall into the death trap that you just can' have balance in a day...because you can!

How do busy mom create balance?

1.They Prioritize. A busy mom knows what is important and what is not. And she makes sure the things that need to get done do and the things that are not a priority she does not worry herself about. So many of waste time doing things that don't get us any closer to our goals and at the end of the day we look back and wonder what the heck we did all day. When your actions line up with your goals you will feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day instead of feeling like you never got done what you wanted to get done. 

To see if your actions are lining up with your priorities do this simple task:

Create two columns:   What I do on a daily basis /  Priorities for my life.

Start on the right side and write down your priorities. What is important to you? Then go back to left side and fill in what tasks you actually do on a daily basis. when you are done sit back and compare your actions to your priorities. Is what you do on a daily basis getting you any closer to your goals and dreams? If not then it is time to re-prioritize.

2. Busy moms set schedules. I am NOT a fan of schedules, but they are necessary. Kids need to know what time they are going to eat next and you need to know when you will have time to do certain things. By setting a schedule you can make sure your kids, your husband and you are getting in all the things you need. And this makes everyone happy instead of mom doing for everyone else and then getting upset that she never has time for herself. She schedules her time and utilizes it!

3. ASK FOR HELP! This is hard for most busy moms, But one way to create balance is to Ask someone for help. We can not do it all alone, so why do we keep trying?? LOL Find someone you can depend on and let them help you get some things done!

4. Know when to say NO. It is so easy to say yes to everything and then you get soo overwhelmed that you can can not give anything 100%. It is better to have few things to do that you can give 100% to then being able to only give 50%  to a bunch of things. 

5.Don't be too hard on yourself. There is no such thing as perfection and as humans we are supposed to fail. Don't be your own worst critic. Have grace with yourself and remember we all fall. It isn't about how many times you fall it is about how many times you get up! The secret to not being too hard on yourself is to keep moving! Don't hold onto to what does not serve you! Don't hold onto the negative. Don't hold onto the past. Let it go and let it flow! 

Remember you create the balance you want in your life! 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven-- A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.

Overweight or Obese?

There is a fine line between healthy and overweight and there is even a finer line between overweight and obese. How do you know which category you fall under? What is the difference between being overweight and obesity?

Both the terms overweight and obesity have the same general meaning- an excess amount of weight. One specific difference is being overweight is excess weight for your build, height, or age- which doesn't necissarily mean there is excess fat, where obesity is the measurement of excess fat and the severity of your condition is determined by how much excess fat you have.

Another big difference is the fact that being obese comes with health risks that being overweight may not have. Things such as clogged arteries, problems breathing, diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic heart disease and much more are side effects of being obese.

The way one is able to tell if they are just overweight or obese is by measuring your BMI or Body Mass Index. The way this is calculated is by taking your body weight and dividing it by your height squared. Check out the BMI calculator I have on my side bar ---------------------------------------->>>>

So once you calculate your BMI what do the numbers mean? Look at the charts below to see where you fall and where maybe you should be.

My Piyo Results!

 I did it!!! I completed 60 days of Piyo and it was AMAZING!!! I absolutely loved it every step of the way! As you can see from the pic below I lost 6 lbs in 6 days. That doesn't sound like a lot, but if you can tell it makes all the difference in the world. And the truth is I haven't weighed under 137 in years, like since before college!!

So I have absolutely nothing bad to say about the program. I love its core principals of focusing on the core and proper alignment. These are the secret keys to a great physique. I feel stronger yet lighter. I definitely didn't get bulky and I got more defined in my abs and arms and my butt is rounder and starting loose that flat look! I lost almost all of the cellulite on my thighs.And my love handles hardly exist! I am also starting to get my flexibility back!

I couldn't be happier with my results! I was faithful and stuck to the program and pushed myself! I have started to add running back to my regimen and it feels like I have never stopped running!

Piyo is a program, as a certified personal trainer, I would recommend to anyone!!! I mean at any fitness level it is so worth spending the time to learn the moves and practice them. They are dynamic and fluid and create a strength and power from within without a single weight!

Now it was hard for me to not lift weights. But I am so glad I stuck to it. Because now that I have given 100% to Piyo, it gave 100% back and I got amazing results. I have a great platform now to build muscle and definition upon! So my next plan of action is while I am training for the Gate River Run I will continue to do Piyo while also incorporating the 21 day Fix workouts and then joining the test group for the 21 Day Fix Extreme when that gets here in a few days!! I am really so excited!

I also started drinking Shakeology the last 4 weeks of the program. What a difference that has made for me. I actually eat breakfast. That is my number one worst habit is I skip breakfast. But since I have started drinking the Shakeology in the morning I actually have breakfast and start my day off in the right direction! It also gives me energy and helps me with my moods. I know that may sound silly but it is something I noticed! I have generally been happier. And I am not saying the drink is some magic drink. I think what it is is the habits I have adopted over all: Eating clean, working out daily, cutting out the processed food and believing in myself and my self worth. Knowing I am doing all these good things for my body helps me to feel good about my choices and therefor confident in myself. And that makes me happier!

So all in all I love Piyo...I will probably do it forever! LOL

If you are interested in learning more fill out the contact form on the side bar and I will get in touch with you! Together we can set your goals and help you achieve them!