Orientation Day is here!

Today is the day, the day I go to the gym for all the initial "stuff".  The weigh in, the before pictures, the official overview of the meal plan, etc...  I'm excited but still a bit terrified. Zach has been going for a week now and he's come home and told me everything they've done.  Lord help me is all I have to say.  This challenge is seriously going to be a CHALLENGE.  Here's a snippet of our convo yesterday afternoon.

Me: What did you do today?
Zach: We ran 250 meters, did squats, the bike, rowing machine, (and something else I forgot).
Me: Oh!  That doesn't sound to bad. I can do all that stuff!
Zach:  Mom, that was just the warm up.

I kinda wish I could have seen the look on my own face LOL

Wish me luck!  This is the start of something wonderful because 6 weeks from now I am going to be in so much better shape, stronger and lighter <3

Some of our meals

I don't officially start this challenge until next Monday but since Zach started today I am doing the meal plans with him.  Not doing it 100% til next week so I may have a few things that aren't on plan, but I'm not listing them to avoid confusion.  Here's a few things we've eaten this week, and a picture.

Breakfast:
Egg whites scrambled with spinach and onions.
Oatmeal, egg whites and spinach

Lunch:
Chicken on a bed of spinach, cucumbers
Tuna salad on Ezekiel bread, side of cucumbers and tomatoes

Dinner:
Taco salad.  Lettuce and spinach topped with ground beef, avocado, pico de gallo, and a plash of lime juice.
Chicken, fajitas style - cooked with onions and peppers. Side of avocado.

Snacks - handful of almonds, veggies, small piece of fruit.

I was very worried going into this that I was going to starve to death. Yes, I can be dramatic at times, but I seriously hate being hungry.  I'm sure there's some deep seeded reason for this and if I really cared why I could pay some therapist too much money to figure it out....but who has time for that...  I am very happy to report that Zach and I are both finding that this is a lot of food.  So much that we haven't even been able to finish a few of our meals.   I'm honestly shocked! And happy  :)

I've done something crazy...

Admit it, none of you are surprised by that statement right?  I mean it is ME we are talking about, and I've been known to do some off the wall stuff so....  But this is legit nuts ya'll, even for me.

On April 7th I am starting a 6 week challenge at Middleburg Strength and Conditioning, a crossfit gym (or "box", as I have been told they are called).  Yes, I said CROSSFIT, and yes I said 6 WEEKS. Told ya I did something crazy!!  It involves a strict meal plan, a shit ton of accountability with the trainers and other members of my group, and 3 one hour workout sessions each week. Quite honestly I am not so sure I am going to survive this!  Ok ok, I know I will survive, but it is going to completely kick my ass physically, and I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't scared that I am going to be hungry for the entire 6 weeks.  

My decision to do this is something I have been thinking about for a few weeks.  Not exactly crossfit, but something to ramp up my exercise routine. I love to walk and have been jogging a bit lately, but I need something to push myself further. The actual signing up was pretty spontaneous. It also wasn't very well planned out.  After I did it I looked at my calendar and realized that during the 6 week period I will be out of town 3 of the weekends.  It's going to be impossible to stick to the meal plan exactly, but I'll prepare ahead and bring the food I can and just make the best choices when the meals are out of my control.  Good thing I love salads!! There's some pretty high stakes involved in finishing this challenge that I will talk about at another time, but those things will keep me on track if nothing else does. 

One other thing before I go.  Zach is doing this with me, so that is making this 100x easier mentally.  He still needs to drop a few pounds before he ships out in May, so when I mentioned I was going to do this he signed up as well.  He is starting a week ahead of me, so tomorrow. He only has 5 weeks left before he leaves so they made an exception for him with the challenge. We spent Friday night going over the guidelines of the meal plan and then came up with one for the week using them. We have both been successfully eating low carb for the past 6 weeks, so making this change is a little tough, but we got this. Yesterday we went grocery shopping and then this morning we portioned everything out.  Then we had pizza rolls for lunch and are now headed to the County Fair to have funnel cake and pet the baby goats :) Tomorrow it's game on!! 

2015: The year I found my Joy!

I've been giving a lot of thought over the past week about what my word for 2016 is going to be, and last night I finally found one that spoke to me.  The reason it's been so hard for me to choose one is because the word I chose last year completely changed my life. Last year, I chose the word JOY.

This time last year I was in a pretty rough place mentally.  I'd been in Jacksonville for just about 6 months and other than being so close to the ocean, I had nothing good to say about this place (not even the weather, I still claim that it's way to hot here).  I'd just started a new job, after having 3 here that left me totally miserable every day.  It was the holidays, I was away from most of my family, my friends, and there was no snow here.  I was quickly spiraling into a depression that I knew would keep me down for months, and I knew I had to do something to stop it because that was not a road I wanted to go down again.  I decided I needed to find the JOY in my everyday life.  And boy did I ever!

I got a journal and each night I wrote in it the things that made me happy that day.  It was hard at first and some days I honestly had to search really hard to find something, but the longer I did it the easier it got for me to notice these things as they happened.  And as time went on I noticed a change in my attitude and way of thinking.  It didn't take long either.  I was just looking back through my journal and this entry on Jan. 16th was when things really started changing.  It was the catalyst to a lot of amazing things that have happened in my life since then.  "Had a great phone convo w/ Brian & Jessie tonight - I'm excited about joining the Juice Plus+ company. Not so much to make money, but because I really think the products are one of the pieces of my success puzzle. Love the shakes, looking fwd to the capsules!"   I had no idea how right I was.

Thanks to JP+ I have found my passion in life - helping people feel better and live healthier lifestyles.  I never could have done this if I hadn't of been living this mission myself, and man does it feel good.  I no longer feel run down and tired all the time, I don't need coffee just to function , I sleep better, I rarely get sick anymore, I crave vegetables and could care less for sugary things, I love to be outside and be active, the list goes on and on.  But for me, helping other people experience these things is what makes it all worth it.  My husband has lost 30lbs and is no longer pre-diabetic, his blood pressure is back to normal.  My son's horrible acne is 99% cleared up.  My friends tell me how much energy they now have and thank me for it.  It's so amazing to know how many lives are being changed and I am honored to be a part of that.

I know I said in my journal entry that the money wasn't a factor in me partnering with this company, I honestly just wanted to make enough to cover the cost of the products for my own family and maybe give Russ and I some play money to fund all our travel adventures.  I had no intention of building a business, I just wanted to share my positive experience with the people around me and see if I could help them as well.  Fast forward a year and my JP+ income is something I never expected. I've had some friends and family members join me with the company also and I love watching them experience the same things I did. They get excited about helping people just like I do.  They get excited about their paychecks and I get excited for them. Watching them not stress about the extra Christmas expenses because of JP+, it's so rewarding.  And the travel fund for Russ and I - that is one of my favorite parts!  He has been busy with the Police Academy so our adventures together have been few and far between since August, but I have been able to take a few trips - so fun. I love to travel :)  I went to Atlanta, Columbia, Destin Beach, and Rochester last year.  So far between now and August I have several trips planned - Rochester again, PA, Seattle, Phoenix and MI.  the first 3 are locked in,, still working on the last 2 :)

Part of me finding so much JOY in this year was all of the people I have met through JP+.  It's so rewarding to be surrounded by such an amazing team of people who are all equally as passionate about this mission as I am.  The encouragement and support amongst this team makes us more like family than "co-workers".  Everyone should have a job they love and are passionate about, it's so good for the soul :)

When I started writing this I didn't intend for it to be all about Juice Plus+, but it's pretty typical of my life these days - conversation just kind of goes there LOL 

I've found JOY in other places as well.  I no longer hate Jacksonville. It's still not my favorite place on earth, but there are worst places we could be.  I love that the sun shines most of the time.  I love that there is always something to do here at any given time. I love that even though I am not much of a shopper, there are a zillion new stores and restaurants for us to explore.  I have found some great places to go jogging.  I love walking downtown over the bridges and around the stadium, especially when the Jaguars have a home game. I love that I am starting to enjoy Sunday afternoon football games with my husband, because of the excitement of walking around the stadium on game days LOL.  Because I am stubborn, I would probably still not be admitting all of this if I hadn't of slipped up on one of our walks a couple weeks ago.  We were at the top of the Acosta bridge and stopped to take a selfie.  I remember looking out over the water, the sun was reflecting off the St. John's River, the palm trees lining the walkway, and I realized I was truly happy.  Without even thinking about it I said out loud to myself "God I love this city."  Pretty sure Russ about crapped himself, those are words he never expected to hear.  And honestly, I never expected to say them.

2015 was a huge year for me, lots of changes, new beginnings, and a TON of personal growth.  I am living proof that if someone changes their mindset and starts looking for the positive and finding the good in every situation instead of focusing on the negative it will truly change your life.  Sometimes I think I overuse the hashtag #Lifeisgood but life really IS good!!

Shameless plug.  Check this out, because you all deserve to feel as good as my family and I do (healthwise, physically and mentally)!!  www.healthylivingrules.org

Habits and Routines

I never used to be much of a planner, always kind of flew by the seat of my pants - much to Russ's horror.  He was the planner, the organizer, the one who kept us all in line.  He's known as the shoe fairy in our house. No matter where we took off our shoes in the house, they'd always end up back in the "shoe spot", and they'd all be lined up perfectly.  Nothing wrong with being like that - I just wasn't.  Somehow over the past few years that has changed.

I need my routines. I need the habits I have developed.  They keep me grounded and focused.  They also keep my anxiety at a manageable distance.  I know that if I don't plan our meals and keep food and meals prepped in the fridge, we will end up going out and making unhealthy choices.  I made a habit out of planning our menus for the coming week on Saturday, and then shopping and prepping on Sunday.  That habit has just become my routine now.  I made a habit out of keeping my gym bag packed and ready to go every morning, and bringing it with me when I leave the house.  This way I can change at work if I want to go to the trail, or I can just head to the gym.  I do this because I know if I come home first to change I will most likely end up not going back out.  That habit has just become my routine now.

When Russ's schedule changed at work it totally screwed up my routine.  If I go to the gym right after work I will only see him for maybe 2 hours a day.  That 2 hours would be spent making our dinner and packing his lunch while he showered.  So basically I won't see him much at all.  I'm not ok with that so I come home after work so I can see my husband.  We tried a few things, like him meeting me at the gym, or me picking him up and we go to the trail - but time wise it just wasn't working out.  I am currently trying to develop a new habit of going to the gym when he leaves for work at 5:30.  I'm not thrilled with this, but I need to get my exercise in and there's really no other option.  I'm sure after a week or two it will just be a part of my routine.

Last week the kids were all here and my routines went right out the window. I am not complaining, I'd give them all up to have our family here with us all the time!  I was sad to see them go, but the next day when I got up and made my shake, and packed my lunch, and did all the other things I do in the morning I realized something.  I'd missed my routines.  And while I miss the kids, I was happy to have our "normal" back.

I am sure Russ wishes some of these new habits of mine included things like not making piles of stuff all over the place, and folding the laundry when its done instead of letting it sit in the basket to get all wrinkled.  Maybe someday. Baby steps, right?!

Been a while...

Geesh, I don't know how I let this get away from me!   We got busy with life and blogging took a backseat I guess.  Which is funny because I think about blogging all the time. I even write blog posts in my head while I'm at work, just never seem to have time to sit and get them typed out!  I've been thinking about writing a lot today and decided that while I feel like I don't have much to say right now, there IS a lot I do want to write about.  So be ready for more frequent posts again - I miss writing and sharing things with you all.

This week is going to be a fun one. Marissa and Jen will be here Tuesday and we have a fun week planned!  Zach, Cassie & Grahm will be here Thursday night.  It'll be so nice to have all the kids under one roof again, I cannot wait!  We are packing a picnic (and lots of sunscreen!!) and heading to the beach Friday, going to be so much fun :)

I am really enjoying being a part of the Juice Plus company.  Since I became a part of this awesome community of people I have helped 10 of my family, friends & their children get started on a path to healthier futures.  Not to mention Russ and I - we both feel so much better, have more energy and are both slowly losing weight - which is exactly how it should be.   Being a part of this company is definitely a forever thing for us, I see it being my only "job" within a few years.  I have seen how it has changed the lives of the people on our team and can't wait until I am there with them!  I think I am most excited about the fact that it has my own kids caring about their health.  They are eating healthier and being more active all on their own. I feel like they are going to finally break the cycle of unhealthy habits that have been handed down through the generations.  My grandmother instilled in the whole family that food equals love, only to her food meant sugar!!

It's past my bedtime, need to get some sleep and get ready for our busy fun filled week with the kiddos!

Ready, set, DONE!

This morning I spent about 2 hours in the kitchen prepping some of our snacks for the week.  I love being able to just grab & go in the mornings, no hassles no stress.  Sure makes life easier.  Here's some quick photos to share with you all.  When I get home this afternoon I will make the 2 items that I will be packing for our "main" lunch item, and prep stuff for the 2 dinners we're having.  Then I will basically be done for the week in the kitchen, other than cooking our actual dinners.  How awesome is that?!!