Happy New Years Eve!!

Hey everyone! How was your Christmas?! Mine was awesome and wow time flies when you're having fun. I kind of fell off the blogging wagon for the Holiday season but I'm jumping back on. No I didn't stick with it for the Holidays...yes I am getting right back up! Here is something I realized though, food is definitely a social thing and a comfort thing. It is also very much a habit. It is a habit to make goodies for friends and family at Christmas time. Tis the season! I was going to try to make goodies for everyone without eating any....hahahahaha. That's just funny. Needless to say right around the time I started making treats for neighbors and friends my challenge kind of sort of yeah it flew out the window...yeah... But I actually managed not to 'gain' weight because I tried not to over do it like I have in the past during the holiday season so I feel like that was an accomplishment in itself! But I also realized what an impact it had on my body. I consider it a blessing that I failed so I could remember one of my greatest "whys" which is to "feel good!" I was eating great and blogging and feeling good and then as soon as I starting eating junk again my whole body totally broke out with eczema, I lost energy, and I didn't feel great like I do when I am taking care of my body! Time to get with it and rock this challenge!

Pondering food addiction, both my sister and I were at a loss as to why it can be nearly impossible to overcome the temptation to eat foods that are pleasurable but not valuable to the body. We have both learned a more excellent way of eating and both have a knowledge of the countless benefits yet we struggle to apply it in our lives. It is very frustrating and can take an emotional toll! I struggle to be patient with myself when, "I know better." Come on does anyone else hear their mother's voice in the back of their minds when they do something they know they shouldn't, "You know better!"? I always hear a nagging in my mind when I put bad things into my body. It's so annoying to know what's right and have a strong desire to do it but at the same exact time be doing the opposite. I feel very strongly that sugar is addictive and it can turn off the logical part of your brain to get it again! I don't like feeling that in my life.

I don't think it was a coincident that at the same time I was trying to think of a way to conquer these addictions that my friend told me about Plexus! WAIT WHAT??? Something that will help bless my body?! Something that will curb appetite, give me beneficial probiotics, and cleanse my gut?! Something that will help with my sugar addictions?!  Something that will be in my corner to give me the boost I need to get rid of inflammation and toxins and the extra fat weighing me down?!!! YES PLEASE!!!! They have a New Years Competition that I will be doing and cannot wait to get started. I'm hoping it will give me that extra edge to push through with my goals where I haven't been able to in the past!! I have tried and failed at a healthy lifestyle for years and years if this gives me that extra push I need I KNOW I CAN DO THIS!!! I plan (as always) to eat nutritiously and exercise and get enough sleep but I'm hoping this will be the blessing I've been wanting to finally kick my habits for GOOD!

If you're interested in the Plexus competition here is the link;
https://plexusworldwide.com/home

Like I've said in the past I am going to love myself through this and be as gentle and kind as I can because I know even if we give our best we fall short of our own/other's expectations sometimes. All I know is that I am going to give this my very best shot and that I am looking forward to seeing what Plexus and my hard work can do TOGETHER. I promise to give you an honest opinion. If this really helps I will let you know and if it really doesn't help (at least for me) I will let you know. Regardless I am still going to do my best to take care of this body I have been blessed with! I am so thankful for each new day and for this NEW YEAR!!!! 2020 HERE I COME!!!!!   

 

The Lord Gave Us Weaknesses

I used to ponder why a loving God would give us weaknesses. 

Ether 12:27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

As I progress in this life I realize it is a blessing not a curse. We need weakness to realize the greatness of our God, we need weakness to be equals as brothers and sisters, we need weakness to be humble and receive grace. My weaknesses can still get me down sometimes but I think if I learn to turn to the Lord it will bring me up instead of bring me down!

My husband is probably reading this thinking, "Alright what did you eat?" 

"Pizza babe, I broke down and got pizza for me and the kids last night. It's just you were gone and I didn't have dinner plans and this challenge has been hard on the kids too and ok ok I am totally making excuses. I messed up and I don't know what it is about pizza but we were all crabby afterwards so it did not make for a great night." 

I am learning to overcome and I don't expect myself to be perfect on day 3 anymore! I have done that in the past and it only gets me down. In the past I would give up on my goals if I made even small mistakes, which is not what I want. I want to have patience and love for myself as I strive for a higher way of living. I also want others to know that it's ok to fall when we are learning to walk. It's part of the process and it really does help us to become better and to have compassion and understanding for others!

I think what I learned last night is that I need to have a meal plan for every meal for me and my family. That way I can't reason with myself, "We don't have a plan for dinner so obviously the ONLY option in PIZZA!" I need to write down what we are going to eat that day for every meal and make necessary preparations so that I know without a doubt what we are eating!

Ok so today's meal plan is...drum roll please...

Breakfast Oatmeal or smoothie

Lunch Salad 

Dinner steamed veggies, chicken, and quinoa

Ok now that that's settled. I hope everyone has a merry and bright day! Try to make a meal plan, we all have weaknesses, pizza isn't totally evil, turn to the Lord, we are so blessed!!! I love you all. 

Love, Caryssa

P.S. Dana we lil boots and we love pizza!!

P.S.S. Everett I promise I'll do this!!!  

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Maybe changing our eating habits during the Christmas season isn't the best idea...Or maybe it is because I have more opportunities to overcome and admittedly, give in to temptations. It really has been a blessing to realize my strengths and weaknesses and to practice patience with myself. I think it is actually a way to pave the path for my New Years Resolutions.

Everett and I are eating as best we can and allowing ourselves 1 day a week to eat tastier things. So it's not like we are eating 100% healthy 100% of the time but I'd say it averages to be about 75/80% which is pretty good starting out. Plus I mess up every now and then during the nutritious days. I have really enjoyed this challenge so far. I love trying new things and really incorporating the things I have long known but not really applied. Both of us have lost a couple inches around our waists which is exciting and feels good too!

Some days are easier than others and some days I feel stronger and more motivated than others but I have a goal in mind I am going to keep striving for it! I am thankful for everyone that has encouraged and supported me and I am especially grateful for a loving Father in Heaven and the mercy of His Son Jesus Christ, so that in all aspects of my life where I have fallen short and made mistakes and sinned, I can come unto Him and find peace and hope and recovery! I also want to express how thankful I am for the word of wisdom because it has been my guiding star for my health goals and helped me to know what will bless my body and mind the most!

Back to my Why's!

My Whys (Why am I doing this?!) 

Reason #1- I want to feel good and have energy- I feel so good when I exercise and eat nutritiously regardless of my weight or abilities!!

Reason #2- I want to improve my relationships- I feel more connected with Heavenly Father and His creations when I strive to do my best body and soul. When I have more energy I also have more time for my family and friends!

Reason #3- I want to improve myself and increase my abilities!

Reason #4- I want to feel comfortable and confident in my own skin and clothes. It's no secret that being overweight often causes low self-esteem, insecurity, and embarrassment. I often get these feelings and would enjoy not dealing with them as much!

Reason #5- I want to set an example and inspire others to take care of their bodies too!- I know that our bodies are blessings and can help us progress spiritually. I hope we can all strive to more fully follow the word of wisdom and enjoy a higher quality of life!

 I will not be perfect and I will allow myself to be human and make mistakes but I am sticking to my goals and doing MY VERY BEST!!

Food 4 Mind, Body, & Spirit

Mind;
What you feed your mind greatly affects how you feel, just like what you feed your body affects you physically. What are you going to feed your mind today?! There are so many wonderful things to occupy our minds. There are also many things that can hurt our minds. We must learn to feed our minds with those things that will most bless us such as; giving, family, friendship, scripture, uplifting music, encouraging thoughts, treasured memories and educational studies (reading, writing, math, music, language, art, science, trades, and so much more!) Thoughts influence our feelings, moods, bodies, relationships and our spirits. We need to fuel our minds with loving thoughts to have a higher quality of life. Please keep only the best thoughts in your mind today!

Body;
If I haven't already told you I found a scientific model of healthy eating that follows the word of wisdom right down to "eat meat sparingly!" If you are interested in learning more I recommend the book Eat To Live by Dr. Fuhrman. In it he explains what to eat, how much, and why. Basically you will find that your body needs a lot of fruits and vegetables and limited amounts of wholesome grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. Foods he suggests to include daily are; Greens, Beans, Onion, Mushrooms, Berries, and seeds along with what I mentioned previously. These are super foods for the body. This is what I am striving for each day since I started this lifestyle challenge. It is not always easy because I am used to eating sugary, processed, and fatty foods but it feels amazing and I have been losing weight and gaining energy!!

Spirit;
Ponder life. Mary and Martha were both doing good things when Jesus told Martha, "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Luke 10: 41&42. When we take the time to feed our spirits it will never be taken away from us! There are countless things we can do with our time. We have been counseled to pray always, study the scriptures, ponder, and to love God and all men. These will be our treasures in heaven. I hope especially at this time of year, as busy as it can be, that we will take time to feed our spirits! This is always a great place to find spiritual food; https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/?lang=eng&control=true

Ow!

Did you know there are scientific studies about saying, "ow!" when in pain? Yep!... looked it up myself on the internet. It's funny but true. Also did you know dogs have eyelids inside their eyelids? Its so weird. And in case you were wondering a single strand of Spaghetti is called a “Spaghetto”. 

ANnnyways...We are moving right along with our health goals which sometimes feel daunting but honestly I am happy just eating right and getting my body moving. I would love to get to a point where I eat exceptionally and have great strength, endurance, and flexibility but today as I was doing my own circuit training I packed on some nice 25lb weights onto each of the bar and was barely able to put the bar back without injuring myself. I realized that I need to humble myself and do what I can do now not what I want to be able to do eventually. Part of the challenge I face in this lifestyle change is that I want extreme results right away. I need to have faith that I will get stronger and healthier and more able as I continue to work hard each day. The time will come when I am more confident and happier with what I can do but I have to be ok with where I am at now. "I'm OK just being OK" What movie? I love myself enough to know that I am worth it not just when I achieve my goals but right now! I am enough! I am worth the effort I make today! And I can find joy in the journey in all aspects of my life regardless of what I look like or what I can or cannot do! I have faith as I continue to care for my mind, body, and spirit my soul will shape itself and I will feel the joy that comes from taking care of what I have been given!! 

Because I missed a few days posting this one is a bit longer. SORRY hehe! I would like to share with you to my great delight that many family and friends have responded to our health challenge with excitement and been very supportive and encouraging. Some have even expressed their desire to eat better and exercise including my amazing cousin Dana Sanchez! Way to go Dana. I want you to know that you are beautiful inside and out and you are worth every effort to improve your quality of life. I am excited for you and hope you find joy in the journey and accomplish many if not all of your health goals!! YOU GO GIRL! 

I invite everyone following my blog to show gratitude for their bodies by feeding it properly and exercising. You will feel better I promise. Also I may have said this before but it can be discouraging to look back and realize how long you have or haven't done what you should or shouldn't. It can be hard to look forward to where you want to be and feel intimidated and unsure if you're up for the challenge. Please put a little faith in the Lord, put a little faith in yourself and do something. Write down your goals and go for it. Today matters. Today counts. If you can't seem to get it right today. Get up and start tomorrow. If you mess up tomorrow try again the next day. It's not easy but it is worth it. Health is worth it. It feels good and increases your abilities for yourself and your family. And it gives you confidence and encouragement in other important aspects of yourself and your life which is always worth it!   

The Great I Am

Today I would like to share a scripture that touched me as I was reading this morning;
2 Nephi 26:24
He doth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world: for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.
I am thankful for the reminder of God's eternal love for all of his children. I feel very blessed to have a knowledge of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost that bares witness of them to me in my heart and mind. I love celebrating Christ's birth at this time of year and pondering His great love for us!
Here is a beautiful new video of the nativity.
https://www.comeuntochrist.org/light-the-world/the-christ-child

I hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season and remembers and realizes how truly loved we are!!!

Why do jeans smell weird?

Does anyone else think jean material smells weird?,,,Just me? OK just wondering.

So today I went to a workout class that incorporates Russian style kettle bells. I absolutely love this class for a number of reasons. First of all the teacher is kind and fun and very helpful, she is always willing to help me improve and answer my many questions! Secondly Its a great way to build strength and burns lots of calories. Today Andrea kicked our butts actually it was the major muscles in our arms and legs! This is also why I love this class because she pushes us to do our best but keep proper form and listen to our bodies too.

I feel like my commitment to eat right is the biggest reason I am doing so well. In the past I wasn't 100% committed. I also feel the strength of the Lord because there are times I know I would break down but I can feel the Spirit helping me along. The Lord loves us and wants us to do our best and be happy!

I also want to express how much I appreciate my husband's encouragement and all that he has provided to help me in this process. He loves me no matter what but knows I want to accomplish my goals! His words are always encouraging. He also knows me well and thought blogging would help me along and it really has helped a lot!!!

 I have been learning a lot these past few days. I am humbled to see the other aspects in life I can also improve on including patience and kindness in my thoughts, words, and deeds especially to my family!

Sore Muscles Happy Heart!

So today brought on its own challenges but I feel good about the work I did today! I feel so energized when I exercise. Like today for example I looked around at the house work and cringed because there was too much to do. But I decided even though I felt like I could probably work on chores all day and not get everything done, I was going to do my workout! I felt so good afterwards and was able to tackle the tasks at hand. Plus I played with the kids and read them books before bed, I feel like this was a pretty great day.

In case you were wondering this is the workout I did today

#1 Warm up- Large stairs (equivalent to skipping two stairs) for about 5 minutes, 100 jumping jacks, 100 ski jacks and 30 bur-pees. 

#2 Self Assessment Workout- assisted pull ups 6, assisted dips 6, girl push ups 5, bench 70lbs 8x, squat 110lbs 3x, standing overhead dumbbell press 20lbs in each hand 10x, single leg dumbbell dead lifts 20lbs in each hand 10x, dumbbell deadlifts 20lbs in each hand 10x, lunges 10 on each side, plank 35sec, and 1/2 mile run 5 minutes and 20 seconds. 

#3 Cool Down- Bike ride around my neighborhood 3 laps and a bit of stretching

I am using this as one of my guidelines to see improvement. I will probably do something similar every month if not more. 

I plan to do heavy workouts with strength training 2x a week, yoga as often as possible (like I might do a bit every night) and swimming, biking, jogging, or sports 3x a week. 

As far as food goes I am eating fruits, veggies, wholesome grains, beans, and nuts/seeds daily and striving to limit dairy, processed grains, and sugars out of my diet (which is even more challenging than eating the healthy foods...) 

Was not expecting that!

So I don't know how many times it takes to realize this really is something I struggle with but for some reason when I made this commitment I was casually thinking, "I know it will be hard" but also thinking, "it wont be that hard" and then in real life it really is hard! And I don't know why but every time I commit to something it feels like everything starts working against me so I wont accomplish my goals. This morning I went to the fridge to find fruits and greens to make a smoothie only to find out most of our produce went bad over Thanksgiving break. "Ok..." I thought, "I will just skip breakfast for now and after I buy groceries I can eat." So I proceeded to get my children ready and off to school for the day and then go to the rec-center to get a nice workout in and release some endorphins which makes a huge difference for my moods! Well THAT DID NOT work out AT ALL. Remington decided to disturb the peace and make things extremely difficult, I tried twice to leave him in the childcare but he literally made everyone uncomfortable screaming and throwing things and I wasn't just going to leave him and let them deal with it (I could barely deal with it and I am his mother!) I was so frustrated. I felt defeated by a 3 year old. I did not get my workout in today. By the time we were done grocery shopping and eating lunch it was getting late. With Christmas season beginning working out would have to wait so we put up the tree and some decorations and now the day is coming to a close. What can I say I have a picture perfect plan in my head about how to transform my body and my relationships and my environment and my life but there seems to be other plans. At the end of this day I know a few things... I am thankful for everyday I have been blessed with no matter how challenging, I am not giving up and I have a lot even if it isn't how I picture it could or should be. Also I am striving to learn to allow myself to be human. I have always feared making mistakes and not getting it right the first time every time which is pretty silly and I hope and pray I can learn to do this out of love and not fear because I know that if I only accomplish one goal in life I would want it to be love! Love is the most important and if I accomplish nothing else in life that's ok!

So The Journey Begins

Hello friends and family! I am super excited to take a serious step towards a healthier me! I hope you will support me as I strive to become the best I can be. I know these types of commitments can be frightening and overwhelming but I also know that they can be a blessing. Change is scary but it is inevitable. The question is what change do we want? Change can also be very beautiful. Take the change in seasons for example; Spring is bright colors and new life, Summer is green trees and children's laughter, Fall is colored leaves and holidays, and Winter is white glittering snow and family closeness. I love these changes because they bring variety and spice to our journey in life. I know this isn't going to be easy but like all good things it will be worth it.

 
 My sweetheart will be joining me on a health journey of his own too!

 
 I welcome all to join us that would like to make health goals with us and strive to better care for their body. I will be posting daily blogs and monthly photos! I will be blogging about our ups and downs, our goals, and our progress and achievements! Thank you for your love and support on our behalf.
                      XOXOXOX,
                                            Caryssa