Wasn't Expecting THAT!

If you’ve read my blog before, you’ve likely heard me discuss the word perspective.  And more than the word, you’ve heard me discuss what it means to me.  I use that one simple---yet powerful---word as a constant reminder to maintain the right point of view.  It’s not always easy, and I don’t always succeed.  Do I gripe about things that I shouldn’t?  Yep.  Do I overreact from time to time, making the proverbial mountain out of a molehill?  Yep, sure do.  Not that I’m proud of doing so, but I’ll admit it.  I don’t always maintain proper perspective.

 

So when amazing people come into my life to teach me a lesson, I’m more than ready to listen and learn.  Recently, such a person came into my life through my role as a Beachbody Coach.  This young lady’s story took me totally by surprise and left me (me!!) speechless.

 

I first “met” her several months ago when she purchased Shakeology through me.  Being a consistent customer, I thought she might benefit from a 25% discount, so I approached her about that. And our conversations grew from there.  Recently, she reached out to let me know she had relocated, but was still interested in learning more about Beachbody.  A few questions later, I learned so much more than I ever anticipated about this amazing woman.

 

This chick described herself as a jock in high school, very athletic and competitive.  She’s run half marathons, marathons and completed Beachbody programs like P90x---longing to change her shape a little.  Well, all of her training and exercise couldn’t prepare her for a the afternoon on which she describes “not being able to get my body to do what I wanted it to” and a “headache that wouldn’t go away.”  Scary enough, right?  One month after turning 24, she got it; the diagnosis of a brain tumor. 
Doctors decided to biopsy the tumor.  During the biopsy, she suffered a massive brain bleed and stroke that left her right side severely impacted.  Doctors told her to get things in order and sent her to hospice where she underwent 6 weeks of radiation and 4 years of chemo.  Four years!!  Two years into her treatments, the tumor had reduced in size and this warrior said, “Enough is enough!”  She learned to drive with her left foot, ditched her cane and weaned off her meds. 

 

While some deficiencies still exist, she’s learned how to make things work---and never lets weakness in her hand or a slightly off-kilter gait slow her down.  In fact, she decided to tackle Insanity….without question, one of the toughest workouts Beachbody offers.  She talks, with humor, of taking on this intense workout with her sister…figuring out how to modify various moves along the way.  

She’s working through P90x again and following a meal plan this time around, too.  In fact, she turned the garage of her new home into a gym so her habit is never out of sight!!  THAT is dedication!  My favorite line in her whole message to me is, “More than that (5lb weight loss), I feel stronger and more balanced.  My sister has lost 15lbs since she moved in with us, too.  I think it’s because I meal plan and food shop and then we both spend Sundays prepping and cooking for the entire week!”

 

To me, her entire story makes me beyond grateful.  Grateful for my health, my mobility, my family and my outlet for this passion of mine:  Beachbody Coaching!  Stories like hers are an incredible reminder of how important it is to live well, live healthfully and be thankful each and every single day.  Was it easy to learn to drive left-footed?  Probably not.  Were chemo and radiation treatments a picnic?  I’m sure they were awful.  Were the side effects all roses and peaches?  Heck no.  But this gal didn’t let any of that stop her.  It made her push that much harder.  When I’m struggling with a workout move or pushing through some soreness, I think of her and I am inspired. 
Does she inspire you?  I know you haven’t met her---neither have I!  Does her story put things into perspective or what?  Now, I know we will all moan and groan about heavy morning traffic or whine that the line at Starbucks is too long...but if  you pause, in that moment, and find SOMEthing for which to be grateful---and there's ALWAYS something!!!---I bet your perspective will return in a hurry.  If your mind is totally blank, at least think of this post, of this young lady's story.  Hold on it it!

Who is it that moves you to do more?  Be more?  Push more?  What’s the reason behind what you’re doing?  What’s the reason behind what you’re NOT doing?  Maybe that’s a better question.  Because once you’re no longer “not doing” you will be “doing” and that is where changes begin.  Let’s begin.  Today.  Together.

  

Pet Peeves

Everyone has pet peeves, right?  Everyone has something (or somethingS) that annoy them.  You know you’re thinking about yours as you read this.  Drivers who don’t use turn signals?  Yeah—what’s so hard about flipping a switch?  How about people who leave shopping carts right in the middle of the parking lot?  Or the less-than-considerate people who walk by a garbage can and toss their wrapper on the ground?  I can hear my daughter’s voice, chastising them with a “That’s being a litterbug.”  Another one? How about the misuse of to, too and two?  Or their, there and they’re?  Makes.  Me.  Crazy.

Which is probably part of the reason that I get a little shiver when I notice someone misusing words like price vs value.  Or busy vs productive.  I guess they’re really not misusing them so much as they’re using them to mean something different than what they likely intended.  Pet peeve!!

For example; when someone is discussing a Beachbody program with me, and they ask, “How much does it cost?” I know they want a dollars and cents response.  But I don’t look at it that way.  To me, there’s cost and then there’s value.  Sure, I can tell you what the charge will be on your credit card, but what’s more important, in my opinion, to understand, is what that represents, exactly.  Is it an expense or is it an investment?  To me, it’s only about the cost if you don’t see value in it; if there’s value, the cost suddenly makes a lot more sense. 

Take paper towels as an example.  You could buy the really inexpensive ones, but use twice as many to do the job of one (and yes, I realize I sound like a commercial for Bounty), so in the end, you’ve not really saved because you’re buying twice as much.  Or how about the gas you put in your car?  You could go the cheap route and pay for it miles down the road when some part of your engine fails because it’s been gunked up with cheap fuel.

Something else I hear a lot of is “I’m so busy!”  Is busy really the same thing as being productive?  I don’t think it is.  I can be busy all day and accomplish pretty much nothing…nothing that really matters, anyway.  It’s like reading and comprehending…sure, I read four chapters of a book last night, but couldn’t tell you a darn thing about what the content was.

Are you productive in your days?  Intentional in your actions?  Sure, there’s always time for a little daydream or mindlessness, but overall—are you doing things that should be done?  Need to be done?  Help you by being done?  Or are you avoiding necessary tasks by doing silly little things and saying you’re busy?

How about the word JUST.  Ooooh, that one gets me every time.  I’m just a Mom.  I’m just trying to lose 5 pounds.  I just wish such and such would happen.  I just need 3 minutes of your time.  Read all of those sentences again without the word JUST.  Can you hear how much stronger they are?  JUST sounds like an apology in there.  I’m just a Mom?  PLEASE!  No Mom I know is JUST a Mom.  OWN that…I’m a Mom.  I mean, visually, I see the first sentence as someone fidgeting with her fingers, looking down at her shoes.  The other, I picture a strong woman, standing there with a kiddo on one hip and a laptop bag on the other!  JUST need to lose 5 pounds?  Why is that a “just” kind of thing?  I need to lose 5 pounds.  Period.  Just do it?  DO IT!  

I don’t know if people are lazy, preoccupied or they just don’t care, but I think far too often people speak without thinking.  Without being intentional.  There are knee-jerk, automatic responses to questions, (Hi, how are you?  Fine, you?) that are almost not even heard because there’s no expectation of anything other than a “standard” comeback.  These thoughtless responses aren’t always necessarily rude or anything, but I wonder what would happen if people put more thought into the question, the response and the conversation that might ensue. 

I challenge you to be more intentional in you next conversation; see what happens.  It’s a practice that takes time to develop, but I have to think we’d all be busier---nah, more productive!---if our dialogue was a little more real!

Dinner Says LOVE

I learned this recipe years ago...and can just about make it without even using the recipe.  And that's probably a good thing, because for whatever reason, this recipe gets lost more than any others.  I don't know why, I have no clue where it goes, and I for SURE don't know why this is the one that seems to disappear.  Worry not, I've got it here for you and you know what they say about putting something online?  Once it's up there, it's up there for good.

Taken by Abby

Speaking of "for good" I married Mark 10 years ago.  For good!  We're in it for life, best friends and a whole lotta happy.  Most of the time.  Hey, we're human, right?  There are days we're at each other's throats, there are days we both need a little space.  It's bound to happen.  And when it does, I know THREE little words that can solve just about any spat.  Nope, not "I was wrong" (women, we don't ever say that, do we!?) and not "You were right" (because that would surely bring down bolts of lightning onto our home!) but Inside Out Ravioli.

This is "that" meal.  It's the "I'm sorry" meal, the "Rough day?" meal, the "Let's celebrate" meal and sometimes it's the "No special reason but I need you to know how much I love you" meal.  Regardless of what meal this is, it always tastes the same--awesome, full of love and just plain perfect!

Here's how it's done:

  

While dinner bakes,the table waits!

What you'll need

1 lb. ground beef (can use turkey or chicken if you'd like)
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 tbsp. salad oil (I use olive oil)
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach
1 (16 oz.) mushroom spaghetti sauce (or any kind you prefer--even homemade!)
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1/2 tsp. salt (I usually skip this b/c I like to add a little Parmesan which is salty enough)
Dash of pepper
1 (7 oz.) pkg. medium shells, cooked (whole wheat, baby!)
4 oz. shredded low fat cheddar (I suppose you could use Mozzarella if you'd like)
1/2 c. bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. salad oil (again, olive oil)

What you'll do
Brown beef with onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil.
Cook and drain spinach, save the liquid and add water to equal one cup.
Stir the liquid, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce and paste, salt, pepper into the meat mixture. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Combine cooked pasta, cheese, bread crumbs, eggs and 1/4 cup salad oil with the spinach. Spread mixture into a 13x9x2 inch baking dish.
Top with tomato sauce and a sprinkle of parm.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I serve this with a whopper of a tossed salad, sometimes garlic bread (every now and again, I indulge!) and a glass of wine...I'm telling you, all of the flavors taste infinitely better when combined this way.  And, truth telling time...this year, I totally at dinner (at our 'fancy' table!) in my jammies!  It was Friday night, cold as all get out and I was with the 2 people who love me (and I them!) more than words can say.  Besides, I'm pretty sure they liked my fleece pants with red and pink hearts all over them...or, at the very least, were too busy enjoying dinner to notice!  

Enjoy!  And tell me, what will this meal be for you?

The 21 Day Fix...it's COMING!

Get healthier.  Gosh, that is a loaded statement, isn't it?  Two little words but what meaning.  Get healthier.  Would you know exactly where---and how---to start to get healthier? Many people don't have a clue, which leaves many in that "paralysis by analysis" limbo-land where nothing changes at all!  Not a good place to be.  And when you think about it, 'get healthier' is a pretty nebulous statement, don't you think?  How about a guide!?

So the 21 Day Fix is about to launch...and lots of people are wondering what's it all about.  As a Beachbody Coach--and someone who has her order all queued up just waiting for "Launch Day!!"--I'd love to tell you.  No really--I'm excited to share this with you because it is such a phenomenal blend of education and exercise; two components that are vital to living your best life.

Autumn Calabrese is a celebrity fitness instructor who's passion for helping people lose weight is wrapped up in helping them understand critical nutritional aspects, namely, portion control.  This gal is a powerhouse, and she's going to show you how it's done.

Taking a step back for a second, I thought it would be important to share some statistics with you that really opened my eyes.  According to the American Heart Association, "a recent survey of adult Americans found 39 percent said they thought they had ideal heart health; however, 54 percent of those (and 70 percent of all respondents) said a health professional had told them they had a risk factor for heart disease and/or needed to make a lifestyle change to improve their heart health. These findings indicate most people don't associate important risk factors, such as poor diet and physical inactivity, with cardiovascular disease."

Bottom line; people think they're healthier than they actually are.  And that's concerning, because that likely means they're not taking the necessary steps to be healthier.  To help with this, we developed My Life Check (more on that later) as a launchpad for folks to get healthier.

With no medical background whatsoever (let's be super clear on that point), I think the 21 Day Fix is a fantastic option in that it tackles exercise and nutritional expertise in a whole new way.  Autumn's system is designed to teach portion control---a huge factor in our weight challenges.  And, as she'll remind you, "we can overeat on good stuff too."  It's key to understand how much is "enough" and how much is "too much."  The recipes that accompany the program are great; vegetarian and vegan options exist and the instructions are easy to follow. 

The workouts?  Yeah--they're awesome!  And they are each only 30 minutes long AND, as always, there's a modifier in every single one to help even the most novice of workout newbies!  Perhaps the part that has most people perking up is that the program is 21 days long---THREE weeks!  Get out your calendar right now (go ahead, I'll wait!) and circle a date 3 weeks from now.  If you knew that you could get in great shape between now and then....how excited would you be (again, I'll wait while you bust out the happy dance!)!?

Men, women, old, young, pro, novice---this program works for EVERYbody.  Clear your mind of excuses, clear your mind of "I can't do this" and let's get busy.  I will be running an exclusive 21 Day Fix Challenge Group starting on February 17 (if you need to project out 21 days from there, we're looking at March 9) and I'd love for you to be part of it.  Message me today to reserve your spot and get the full details on how you can order your very own package.  This program launches on February 3 at an incredible introductory price...so let's get it into your hands NOW!

Check Out the 21 Day Fix Video HERE

Learn more about the American Heart Association's FREE My Life Check tool, too!

P.S.  As you're reading this, I suspect you may also be Pinning recipes for your Super Bowl party.  My guess is there's a good bit of cheese involved, maybe some chips and probably some beers.  While it all sounds like my kind of party (and I'll gladly accept invitations!), come Monday, there may also be regret, discomfort and "I knew better" involved.  Wouldn't it be nice to think of Sunday as a going away party for your fat?!  Wake up Monday morning and ORDER!