Holidays Without the Weight Gain?

WARNING: Long, AWESOME post.

So, I did something kinda awesome. I finished the WHOLE ENTIRE P90X3 program.

Yeah. That's 90 days of hard core workouts. Nailed it. Well, sorta.

I didn't follow the nutrition plan as strictly as I probably should have, cuz you know, there was cake occasionally, or pumpkin waffles...*drool*

Anyways, that's where my Shakeology comes in, like a superhero I might add. See, this stuff is like magic. It reduces my sweet tooth cravings (which are heavy duty), gives me all the nutrients I SHOULD be getting from vegetables,  and keeps me full for about 3 hours (thus preventing unnecessary snacking, like me driving to Einstein's multiple times a day). And it tastes FANTASTIC. *score*

And now for the results: I can do twice as many pull-ups as I could when I first started, I can curl 20# dumbbells (for a little while), and I can do lots of funky push-ups. I feel pretty cool. AND I maintained my weight the whole 90 days, through anniversary celebrations, birthdays, family get-togethers, and kids leaving their pop tarts lying around the house. Winning.

SO WHAT? I'll tell you: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years are gonna crash down on us all WITHIN the next 90 days. What's your plan? Would you maybe like a safety net so you don't gain an extra 15-20 lbs? You COULD even lose weight through the holidays...just sayin.

I've got a support group for other sweet tooth mommas like me that starts October 19th. Wanna know more? Just comment and I'll give you all the info, cuz we're friends, and I like you!

-Brooke

Love

Follow @driven_mama

I've found my life calling.

And it's been one of those journeys where I knew the destination beforehand, but it has taken me SOOOO LONG to see the scope and the HOW.

Backstory:  I always knew that, when it came down to it, I just wanted to stay home and be a mom. And I hate to say "just" like that, but what I mean is "that's all I wanted."  I wanted to stay home and focus my energy on building my family and making it the best that I could.  Which is hard stuff, 7 years, 7 months, and 3 weeks into it.  And it will be hard LOOOONNNNNG after this, as well.

Back to the present:  I work at a gym daycare, which I've mentioned before.  I've been there for 2 years, 7 months, and 2 weeks.  And I have worked at 5 different locations throughout Utah and Salt Lake County.  Thassss lossa kiddos.  Wanna know what I have loved best about this job?  It isn't that I get a free gym pass, or that Brandon gets a free gym pass, or even that my shifts are at MOST 5 hours.

What I love best is the kids.

That also, incidentally, is the hardest part of the job.  But that's not what I'm focusing on. These children have taught me so much about love, and trust, and well-children.  And that's beyond the degree in Behavioral Science and Family Studies.  I have learned to love, and hug, and trust, and smile, and wipe away tears, and be that constant for them.  I love when new families come in, and they have a scared child that doesn't want Mom or Dad to leave.  I get to step in and be the constant for them while the parent is away.  And I build trust with them.  And they hold my hand while we walk to find a toy that they will like, or go get a picture to color.  And by the end of the 90 minutes, I've made a new, true friend. I feel like, in these moments, I get a glimpse of how the Savior loves and sees them.

For most of my adult life, this approach has not translated to other adults. :-/  I kinda figured, "They're old enough to make their own choices and deal with whatever happens. They can suck it up and take it just like everybody else."

And then I started coaching.  Initially, I saw a great opportunity to supplement our income and even take over so that Brandon could go back to school or focus on getting his dream job.  I still see that, but at first that was all I was focused on.  Me.  It's amazing that I've even been able to convince people to let me be their coach.  Don't get me wrong, I had every intention of being an honest coach, with integrity and determination to help others, and have done my best to do that.  But my heart wasn't all the way in it.  I was focused on the money.

And now, 1 year later, almost exactly, I am FINALLY starting to get it right.  It has taken me AN ENTIRE YEAR to get my brain and my focus in the right place, to change my heart and shift my focus, so that what I am offering comes from a place of love.

The workouts, the Shakeology, the challenge groups, the entire format WORKS.  It worked before I started coaching and it will work after I'm dead and gone.  But what has changed and made the difference in my success has been me.  I've gone through the refiner's fire, and survived.  My challengers have stayed with me and had such PHENOMENAL success, and now they are as dear to me as the children I work with everyday.  I honestly, truly, love them, and am invested in their success.

And THAT was the epiphany.  My calling in life is to LOVE OTHERS.  And coaching is a way for me to expand and share that love with everyone.

****Life changing moment complete****

Confessions

Follow @driven_mama

This is gonna be a bunch of word vomit and such, so...you've been warned.

I have dreams.  Dreams that I can just ALMOST touch.  They light a fire in me, and I feel a drive to do everything I can to reach them.

That looks pretty low key, emotionless and lame when I type it out.  But it's true.  And here's the other truth: I feel like I've been given an entire shop's worth of tools to get there, and I don't know how to use the hammer.

I have been frustrated.  I found something that changed my life.  I love it, and I AM NOT going back to a life without it.  Logically, I would want to share that with the people I love, with my friends, with anyone that I think it would help. Right?

But there's another problem.  I'm afraid.  I get myself all hyped up to do awesome things, to work hard to reach my goals, to get my energy on the same level as the things I desire, and then I freeze. "Nobody wants to hear this from me.  If I bring up the subject that I have something that could help someone, that person will hate me.  Ugh, I'm so annoying, I should just leave them alone."

I'm doing all the leg work, and getting all my ducks in a row.  All the details are perfect, but I'm just spinning my wheels.

Has that happened to anyone else?  What did you do to move past it?

I've been listening to a book, "You Are A Badass," by Jen Sincero.  FANTASTIC advice, but she's got a bit of a potty mouth (now you know).  But the point of this book is that every single person has the potential to not only be AMAZE-BALLS, but we each have the power to manifest, create, or attract the life we want.  Sounds like a fairy tale, right?  But even BEYOND that, she says that we each have the RESPONSIBILITY to reach our potential, so that we can bless the world, the charities we support, every person we meet--whomever, with our talents and awesomeness.

And I like that.  I want that.  And she's not just spitting in the wind.  She's speaking truth.  Even if you don't believe in God, or the power of "The Universe," fate, or destiny, I know that when I surround myself with uplifting and inspiring people and media, I can FEEL that I have elevated myself, and I put out way more good karma, or energy, or whatever you want to call it.

I'm a religious person, and growing up the basic equation was "do good things"--> "get blessings".  And that's still true, but now I'm way more intentional about it.  I have a specific life that I want, and a way that I know that I can be of service to others.  And that is what I visualize.  Why shouldn't I approach Heavenly Father and say, "This is what I want; this is how I can serve you.  May I please have this?"

There's a concept in this scripture that I like: "And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you." Moroni 7:26.  If I have a righteous desire, and I have faith that God will give it to me, He will.

That's powerful stuff.

So back to my issues.  I suppose the underlying problem here is that my fear is bigger than my faith.  And that's something I'm working on.  But I want to say to my friends and family that I've approached, I am sorry if I come off as awkward and sales-y.  That is not my intention AT ALL.  If you say no, that doesn't hurt my feelings :-)  I just want to share something that has blessed my life with you; even if I'm awkward and nerdy and painful to watch while I do that.  I love you ;-)

The 5 Stages of Grief

I like puzzles.  I suppose that one of the things that make me nerdy :-)  Brandon has learned over the last month that I will sit down and literally spend hours putting together lego sets and puzzles without the kids.  :-)  I can actually feel my brain getting exercised.  It's awesome.  And yes, these are {C}'s puzzles and NOT mine.

I thought I found a new puzzle to work out yesterday...not sure it's one I can figure out, though.  If you've read my past posts, you might remember that at my yearly check-up last March my cholesterol came back pretty high.  So, since I've started drinking Shakeology daily and being more conscious of what I eat, I was expecting my cholesterol numbers to look much better at my last check-up, which happened Friday.

They called me with my results yesterday.  My bad cholesterol is way high, but my good cholesterol is right where it should be.  Their solution: "We want to start you on a diet and exercise regimen."  My response: "Um, I'm ALREADY ON ONE."  The nurse didn't believe me when I told her I exercise intensively 6 days a week.  Or that I don't eat at Chuck-A-Rama every weekend.  Ok, maybe the Chuck-A-Rama part didn't specifically come up, but I said that I only occasionally eat fried foods and stuff with creamy sauces.  Yes, I eat them, but NOT REGULARLY.  She countered: "Well, cut back on the fried food.  Come back in 4-6 months so we can monitor it."  And that was it.

DENIAL AND ANGER: My initial reaction to that call was: "What the $%^#@#%$%$%!!!!! I've lost almost 30 POUNDS!!!! I have a superfood meal replacement shake EVERY DAY!!! How can my cholesterol be the same as a 50 year old, morbidly obese man!?"  

BARGAINING:  For a little bit there, I thought--"Maybe I just need to be better with my eating.  Maybe if for the next 4-6 months I don't indulge in the high cholesterol food, it will go down.  Maybe I can fix this if I'm super good."

DEPRESSION:  The bargaining phase didn't last long, because I knew that I wouldn't be able to pull that off.  I'm still building my self-discipline and will power.  No way I can make it that long without ANY indulgences.  How depressing.  I thought that what I've accomplished the last 5 months would have done something; and it did NOTHING.  At least cholesterol-wise.  Luckily for me, though, Brandon came home, and when I told him he just laughed :-)  And that put it in perspective.  I haven't had a hard life, really.  At all.  And this high cholesterol hasn't bothered me so far.  If I hadn't gone to the doctor, I wouldn't even have suspected it.

ACCEPTANCE:  So, after talking with Brandon, we decided that it might not be something I can control.  Maybe it's genetic--even though I wasn't aware of it.  So, I called my previous doctor today and had them pull my results from last March to compare.  The nurse was very patient with me and sensitive to my concerns.  Turns out my results are pretty much the same as last time.  No change.  Cero.  I told her everything I was doing, and she agreed with Brandon and I that maybe it was just genetic, but to keep going back in to monitor it.  I may eventually need medication to keep it in check, but somehow that conversation made me feel better.  It made me feel better that maybe it wasn't my fault.  Maybe this was a new card I got dealt in life, and I would just have to find a way to work with it.  

CONCLUSION:  Yeah, this isn't ideal.  But I'm on a good path doing what I can do to keep myself healthy.  And I'm so thankful that I have doctors and nurses to help me work through problems that I can't fix on my own :-)  It's all about perspective, and now that I've taken a day to think about it, I'm able to put it in the right place.  Still driven, and still in control of the things I can change.

Just talk

Hey there :-)

I really don't want this to get old with me just posting pictures of me working out and pretending to be all cool.  Maybe it already has.

I'm not sure how you all perceive me through your computers and mobile devices, but I hope that as I learn and grow that I will be able to share myself with you and help you get to know me for me.  And don't be shy, if you feel so inclined, leave comments :-)  I want to get to know you, too!  Let's be friends.

So...I don't have pictures today.  Just words.  And this one starts the story:  why.  Why am I doing this, this blog, pursuing physical improvement, sharing it with people I don't know.  Why?

In the beginning (of my life) I was born to two wonderful people that I love.  I was their first child, and only child for a while.  My beautiful siblings didn't show up until I was 7, 9, and 11 years old.  My parents had only me for a long time, and I was the object of their affections and sole object of their parenting strategies for those formative years :-)  I benefited a lot from that much attention.  I started ballet and soccer when I was 4, and participated in those for the following 9-10 years.  I remember being taught to read at a young age and my first piano lessons (which weren't very successful in the beginning.)  I was blessed with so many opportunities to try my skills in various areas and to stretch myself.  I am grateful for the opportunities and experiences I had growing up.  Along with those experiences and opportunities, there came expectations.  I did well in school, and the expectation was that I would, most definitely, go to college (and finish), and I would be responsible for the cost.  So, the motivation was to excel in school and qualify for scholarships.  I learned to work hard.  I maintain 9 years after the fact that my senior year in high school was harder than any of my years in college.  I was taking 4 AP classes, working part-time, and taking night classes at UVSC (UVU) for one semester.  It paid off :-)

I felt like I was constantly working for my parents' approval.  Nothing was every quite enough.  I love my dad, so SO much, but he isn't the most tactful person :-)  I remember one day, after I'd come home from volleyball practice my sophomore year, he said, "You know, your poor fiance.  You're gonna go off to college, and bring someone home for Thanksgiving break to meet us, and he'll see your mom and think that that's how you'll look when you're her age."  To clarify, we had just moved to Arizona that year, and I had put on probably 10-15 lbs.  I was a little "fuller", but for 5'7", I didn't feel it was "bad."  My mom, on the other hand, is 5'9" and has stayed at the same 135 lbs for as long as I've known her, aside from pregnancy.  This was my dad's nice way of telling me to be careful about my figure.  But I still remember it 11 years later. I was still not quite good enough.

But, putting my past in the past, I moved on after high school and met Brandon.  There just aren't enough words to describe what he has done for my self esteem.  Even through two pregnancies, he made me feel beautiful.  I love that man. So, so much.  But just because our spouse says they love us just the way we are, doesn't completely change the way we see ourselves when we look in the mirror.

And this is where my "why" kicks in.  I found a way to feel better about myself.  Not just because I lost weight and looked better.  Because I found a way to gain control over myself.  I found out that I could be strong, that I could pick myself up and do things.  That I could CHANGE my attitude; I didn't need to wait for some circumstance to come along and make me feel better.  I am in control of me, of what I can do and what I can accomplish.  I can create opportunities for myself to grow and succeed.  And that is SUCH an EMPOWERING feeling.  I want to share that with everyone!  I don't need other peoples' approval to feel good about myself; I can look at myself in the mirror and see all that I've done and be proud of it, knowing that I did my best, and that is good enough.

I have learned to love myself. And I think there are others out there who are starving to learn to love themselves.  And I want to help :-)

Happy New Year! Here are the T25 Results!

Follow @driven_mama

Hey Friends!  I took a little vacation for Christmas and New Years...I hope you don't mind.  Did lots of fun stuff, like sleep in, play with friends and family, eat good food and enjoy the spirit of the season.  I hope you all did stuff like that too :-)

I got a new toy for my birthday last month, and for Christmas I got some sticky vinyl to use in it, so I made some stuff for our home.

But the big news is that I had a couple of KILLER catch-up days, and completed my goal of finishing T25 before the New Year.  Done :-)

Are you ready for the pictures?

And here's the "total transformation journey", whatever you want to call it.

To be perfectly honest, by the end of T25 I had stayed pretty much the same since 21 Day Fix.  Maybe lost a little tone, but my measurements were all about the same.  And since I really did eat whatever I wanted over Christmas Break, I'm definitely counting this as a win.

But now that's over, and I've started Insanity Max 30, WHICH I am loving.  No joke.  I'm done being injured and doing modifiers (except for my wrist, but I'm making it work harder) and it is kicking my butt.  AND I LIKE IT.

4 days into it and I'm already making progress. :-D

So.  What are your New Years Resolutions?

REAL.

I'm gonna keep this one short and sweet. :-)  I know you're all cheering inside, right?  I had an epiphany/duh moment.  Usually the holidays roll around and I'm thinking "Yay!  I get pies, cookies, caramels, and our family's traditional Christmas morning cream cheese French toast casserole!"  Yum.  Am I the only one that gets excited by this "excuse" to indulge?  Yeah, I thought not.  No judgment!  We're cool.  I won't tell your secret.  Anywho, this year has been a little different.  Heck yes I've been excited for these yuletide goodies, and yes, I have appreciated them adequately :-)  Trust me :-)  But there's been a noticeable change this go round:  I've actually LOST WEIGHT this month. No lies.  And this is where I get completely REAL with you.  I've shown you my transformation pictures, and at that time I gave you a deficit number.  I had lost ~26 lbs, yeah?  K.  When I decided I needed to do more than workout to be healthy, I weighed 148.8 lbs.  Which, for a woman at 5'7" put me at the high end of the "healthy" BMI range at 23.3.  Now hold on to your socks.  Today I weighed in at my lowest weight yet, 5 months later.

This is how excited I was about it.  I posted this picture even though my toes look sad; but this post is titled "REAL" so, there you go.  119.8!  That is 29 lbs EVEN.  And the last 2 of it came off this month.  So now, my BMI is 18.8, at the low end of the healthy range for my height.  Moral of the story:  If I, who STILL has to give in to my sweet tooth regularly, can LOSE WEIGHT during the peak of the weight gain season, so can YOU.  I don't do this to brag; seriously.  I do this to show you that it's possible.  I've been totally honest with you, completely upfront about what I've done, and why it's working.  I even showed you a nasty picture of my feet, which motivated me to do this:

The holidays don't have to be a time to dread the goodies and the threat of weight gain if you make it a habit BEFOREHAND to take care of yourself.  Everyone deserves to feel this awesome about themselves.  I've spent SO LONG, TOO LONG being uncomfortable in my own skin.  Have you? 

NO MORE.  

Camu Camu

It's Saturday, and you know what that means!  Today's Shakeology superfood is Camu Camu.  It's kinda fun to say :-)  Did you ever watch Jungle 2 Jungle, that Tim Allen movie that came out in the late 90's?  Anywho, there's a line in there, something like "Lipo Lipo, so nice they named it twice."  

Same with Camu Camu I'm guessing :-)

So, I looked here and here to see what awesomeness Camu Camu brings to the Shakeology party, and it turns out that it's a fantastic source of antioxidants, potassium, amino acids, and Vitamin C.  In fact, the Camu Camu fruit has 50 times more Vitamin C than oranges.  Whaddup!?  Crazy.  Because of all the goodies in this superfood, it has been shown to balance brain chemistry, decrease mood swings, is great as an anti-inflammatory supplement, and has anti-viral properties as well (all you old farts like me who had chicken pox growing up are gonna want somma this.)  The anti-viral properties in Camu Camu are shown to reduce flare ups in cold sores, herpes, the common cold, and shingles--that thing all us chicken pox veterans are candidates for.   Another noteworthy benefit: because it has so much Vitamin C, it helps decrease depression and anxiety as well.  How many of us are stressed out about everything?  I know I get that way sometimes.  Well, some people who have taken camu camu supplements for an extended period of time have reported that they "require less synthetic anti-depressant medications." reference

In fact, I know an amazing woman, who told her story about dealing with depression, and how drinking Shakeology daily, and I suspect the camu camu played a part in this, helped her lower her anti-depressant medication dosages.  And to be completely honest, this lady's story is what prompted me to become a Beachbody coach.  I took a leap of faith, and signed up without having my own experience with Shakeology to support me.  But I've been drinking it 4 months now, and I KNOW that my body is healthier.  I can FEEL it.  Take care of your body and fuel it right, and weight-loss will be a by-product of getting healthier.  Truth.  Anywho, here is her video: 

And just for accountability purposes, I have been doing my workouts :-)

Nailed it.

See ya Tuesday, folks!  I hope your weekend is fantastic!

Happy Holidays!

Drumroll please...I present to you the FIRST EVER Palmer Christmas card!  Well, the picture we're using for our Christmas card :-)  

Yeah, I know.  I'm terrible; but there's no time like the present, right?  And, as holiday traditions go, at least in Utah, tonight we made the trek to downtown Salt Lake to see the lights at Temple Square.

And this is probably the first time I've made sure pictures were taken to document this trip.  Makin progress :-)  {E} was excited to go see the lights, and {C} spent the whole time on Brandon's shoulders, but she loved it too :-)  It was an especially great event for Brandon and I because it was great to show {E} where Mommy and Daddy got married, and to help her understand how special the temple is to us.  It reminds me of the first time Brandon and I went to the Salt Lake Temple together:

We did something pretty awesome.  We didn't just get married.  We made a promise to each other and to our Heavenly Father that we would work our entire lives to make our marriage last forever.  Because we loved, and still love, each other THAT much.  Because we loved our future children that much, and we wanted to keep them FOREVER.  Still do, in fact :-)  And that covenant made these moments that much MORE AWESOME.

The day {E} was born...

...and the day {C} was born.

What a beautiful reminder the temple and the Christmas season is to us of how much Heavenly Father loves each of His children, to send His Son to earth to give His life for us.  Because of His gift, I can keep these weirdos forever, and nothing in the world could make me any happier.

Transformation Tuesday!

I haven't been coaching too long, so I don't have a whole ton of transformations to whip out and be like "Bam!" with, but since I have one to share today, today will be known as "Transformation Tuesday!"  Like that?

Intros:  This is my friend Ashley from Arizona, and her brother invited her to join the challenge group I run.  She joined at the beginning of October, and these are her results since then. She has been drinking Shakeology and doing the 21 Day Fix. This is her story, in her own words:

"I moved up to Rexburg, ID July 29th.  When I left home, I had shot up to 231, and definitely felt like I needed to take charge of my life.  I started slowly by walking every day.  The high altitude was definitely an adjustment, but as I pushed through the toughness, I have adjusted and haven't used an inhaler in 4 months!  When I started school in September, I was having blood sugar issues.  After going to the doctor, I was given a blood sugar monitor, started on Metformin, and advised to start a regular exercise regimen.  I was also diagnosed with severe ADD/ADHD and started on medication.  This was a big blow to deal with, but I've had lots of wonderful support from family and friends.  In the beginning of October, my brother invited me to join this challenge group! He has been a great motivation for me.  Since starting the program, I started walking to school every day, and I started taking the long way home.  I was walking anywhere from 4-7 miles a day.  Adding in the Shakeology and the exercise programs, I felt even more energy and motivation.  I finally felt confident to do measurements and to take photos of my flaws.  After 6 weeks, I went back to the doctor on Friday, Dec 5.  All my blood levels and labs had completely evened out and I was now in normal ranges! And, my weight was down to 194!  I'm so happy and very excited to be seeing myself change and become stronger mentally and physically.  I still have lots of room for improvement, but I have so much support from loved ones and friends.  This has been a great journey so far, and I look forward to continuing the awesomeness!" 

I am so amazed, inspired, and proud of Ashley and her hard work.  She is one of the sweetest and happiest people I know.  I have always thought of her as a beautiful person, and it is a joy to see her own confidence radiate from her as she's progressing!  I love her very much and am thrilled to be a part of her journey :-)

And now for my own accountability.  I've been hit and miss with my workouts, unfortunately.  I think it's this residual sinus infection, but if I can't catch a workout at the right time of day, my head is throbbing, and it's all I can do to take care of the girls.  But today I buckled down and played catch-up on my workouts.  So I did this one:

(Upper Focus).  And this one:

(Core Cardio).  Also, today was special because I did push-ups with my right hand flat on the floor, instead of in a fist.  Remember when I sprained my wrist and it only bent this far?

Yeah, massive improvement since then.  My wrist is still weak, I wasn't able to do push-ups like that the whole time, but it's making progress and getting stronger, and that's what's important, right?

And to top it off I did this workout as well:

I believe the top position is called an "S" quad hold (according to Shaun T) and the bottom is low pigeon.  It felt so good to stretch after the first two workouts!

And today was the last day of my challenge group that started in November, so here are the end of month pictures.  Since the start of the group I've netted .8 lbs lost, but since last week where I gained a pound, I've lost 1.8 lbs.  So...winning!

And now a story.  I have an almost-three-year-old who I call Miss {C}.  I love her to death and think she is the cutest girl in the world.  Even with those feelings, she still drains the energy out of me when she is tired.  She whines and begs, tugs on my clothes, grunts, her word usage drops dramatically and she cries over EVERYTHING.  Her "tired" behavior started early today, so I put her in bed and let her cry it out.  She slept for an hour and a half, started whining and said she wanted "to carry me", so I picked her up and cuddled with her for a while.  She was out again within 2 minutes, and this is how she looked before we had to pick up Miss {E} from school.

I should make her nap everyday, because she was SOOOOOOO MUCH MORE PLEASANT!  Couldn't believe it.  

Finally, a quick invitation:  My partner coach, Tasheena, and I are hosting a "Power Week Preview" from Dec 15-22.  If you have been thinking about joining one of my challenge groups, this is a FREE preview to see what it's all about.  You don't have to buy Shakeology to join, or purchase a Beachbody workout program.  You'll be in the same group with my other challengers who have been using Beachbody products, and you will feel the camaraderie we've fostered, and the support from each of the other challengers!  If you want to join for the week, hit me up on Facebook and let me know.  This is gonna be awesome!

Maca Root

Welcome!  Healthier Living Today brought to you by Maca Root!  As it is Shakeology Superfood Saturday, I'll be focusing on this particular ingredient, but first, I want you to think about this for a minute.

and this

I don't mean for these informative posts to be pushy and sales-y.  But seriously, the more I learn about the amazing ingredients in Shakeology, the more amazed I am that it's only $4/serving.  And if you've been reading any of this, have any of the benefits resonated with you?  Do you have a family history of heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes?  Did your mother have breast cancer, or your father have prostate cancer?  Any cancer at all in your family?  Blood disorders?  These diseases are all rampant in the U.S, and I'm willing to bet EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. reading this has one of these things to look forward to.  Why WOULDN'T you pay $4/day towards PREVENTING some of these things and being healthier?  Something to think about.

So, maca root.  I looked here and here, and so far, this is the ingredient I probably need the most.  It has iron, calcium, Vitamins B, C, and E, zinc, magnesium, phosphorous and amino acids.  It boosts energy, libido, fertility, relieves menstrual/menopausal issues like cramps, hot flashes, anxiety, and improves moods.  Seriously, not to sound stereotypical, but doesn't this sound like a "wonder woman" elixir?  Winning.

Clean Eating

Hey hey hey!  Yeah, I'm not sure I can pull off that phrase....  Has the Christmas/commercialism shopping bug hit anybody else?  I'm one of those terrible people that starts shopping for other people, and then I get side-tracked by how cute these shoes would look with this or that outfit.  Anybody else here like that?

Selfish Brooke.

On to the story.  I started my clean eating group for this month on Monday, and I've been doing much better this month than I did last month.  Already I've reached a new lowest weight and the group lasts through Sunday, which is also Fast Sunday, for those of you who are LDS and know what I'm talking about :-)  So, I'm very optimistic about my results this time around.  Here are some low-res pictures of the kind of food I've been consuming this week.

Teriyaki chicken with asparagus and brown rice

Quaker Cranberry and Almond protein oatmeal with blueberries and a little brown sugar

Of course my chocolate Shakeology :-)

And tonight's dinner of eggs, turkey sausage, and crescent rolls, which really wasn't super healthy, but it was a compromise meal so that the girls would actually eat.  Last night I made a taco soup in the crock-pot and put in large chunks of ground beef.  My girls picked out the ground beef and left everything else.  Eventually I bribed them into eating the beans they left in their bowls by promising a piece of chocolate afterwards.  I'm not ashamed.  They still came out of their room at 9:00 saying they were hungry, so I gave them carrots to shut them up...and they both ate all that I gave them.  And yes, I know I shouldn't be giving my kids food after bedtime.  I have my reasons, and I have weighed the pros and cons.  Pros: My kids actually will eat vegetables, we all sleep through the night.  Cons: my kids' teeth are still screwed up, we (yes me too) deal with a grumpier, sleep deprived "all of us".  Pros have it.  

And that is the story of how Brooke tried to eat healthy while not starving her family.  Stay tuned for the next chapter :-)

T25 Month One Results...ish.

You know, I thought that since {C} is almost three, it wouldn't be a problem to go ahead and start wrapping presents to put under the tree.  She did so well last year!  But I'm coming to terms with the fact that my angelic baby is many times more mischievous and devilish than her older sister.  Because why would my children be the same?  It's not like being mine and Brandon's children would guarantee they have similar DNA at all.  Testimony:  God has a sense of humor.  There's just no getting around it.

And you know, Brandon just thought it was the funniest thing in the world when I sent him this picture.  I oscillated between discipline and just letting it go for a good 10 minutes.  In the end I just reiterated that she's not supposed to touch anything on or around the tree.  On the flip side, this was the cutest thing I've seen in a while.

They woke up this morning and, holding hands, made up words to the Who Christmas song from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."  But now they've done this all day and I'm a little bit over it. :-D

Do do do...so I finished my first month of T25, amidst bronchitis, a sinus infection, birthday indulgences, and Thanksgiving gorging.  Yes, I realize I just gave myself a bunch of excuses, but I think, considering that they're all true, that these results are pretty good.  :-)

But now that Thanksgiving and birthdays are past, and we're all recovering from the plague, I've started Month 2 with renewed vigor.  And Beta Core Cardio, unmodified, KICKED MY BUTT.  I haven't exerted myself that much in at least 3 weeks, closer to 4, and it was very rewarding at the end of it.  I was actually stinky and sweaty.  WOOT.  *That means I did work*

December will be a much different month for me than November.  I will make it so.

Reishi

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  The girls had so much fun playing with their cousins that they hardly ate! Which is how I knew it would go down ;-)  Isn't that how it always is with kids?  I did way better than in past Thanksgivings, and had one plateful of deliciousness, maybe I took an extra roll...or two :-)  And after an appropriate amount of time digesting, I indulged in 3 small slices of pie with whipped cream on the side.  Then I went early "Black Friday" shopping with these guys (my cute "little" siblings, who are all younger AND taller than me).

The next day Brandon went Black Friday shopping and brought home a beautiful Christmas tree for a steal, and we took great pleasure in decking the halls.  I think our tree needs a few more strings of lights, perhaps ;-)

So...today is Saturday.  You know what that means!  Fun facts about Shakeology :-)  Today's special ingredient is reishi.  Reishi is a reddish mushroom which acts as a balancing agent.  I did a small amount of research here and here, and the biggest benefit seems to be as an immune system booster and an agent that returns the body to normalcy, and who isn't interested in that during the season of sniffling noses and yucky coughs?  It's more preventative than a cure, if I'm understanding what I've read.  Other benefits include lowering high blood pressure and improving blood circulation.  Sounds good to me :-)  Bottoms up!