Did you know that if a plane is only 1 degree off of it's trajectory that as it flies from the west coast to the east coast of the US it will end up over 300 miles off course? The pilot has to be in a constant state of reevaluating and making tiny adjustments to stay on course. It's very similar in our health journey!
The greatest skill I've learned along this journey is that perseverance and endurance are so much more important than perfection! We can't be perfect, the winds of life push us around, our emotions get the best of us and we have to reevaluate in tiny ways day to day. ( Minute to minute somedays!)
Consistently building better habits is more effective than trying to overhaul your life in a week!
If you aren't exercising at all right now, starting walking three times a week for 15 minutes and let it grow as it becomes part of your schedule. When your all purpose white flour runs out, swap it out for a healthier flour. Slowly over time, stop buying items that don't align with your goals and replacing them with items that do! Plan veggies at every meal meal! Drink more water! One day you'll look at your pantry and your life and see you've transformed one small decision at a time.
Don't tackle the biggest things first. If you have a severe coffee addiction, that's not the place to start! Maybe start trimming back on the creamer or order a smaller size but let the small choices snowball in big changes until your foundation is solid enough to tackle your emotional and physiological addictions.
Don't let perfectionism hold you back from getting started! The smallest decision can change your entire trajectory! It doesn't matter how long it takes you to get there, it only matters that you end up where you want to be! 💗
Yesterday we started our preseason week where we take the simple steps to plan our month out and we start our plan on Monday! It's not too late to join us! Message me to for more info! 💗

This quote struck me today. A couple of years ago, I was living to be numb. I kept busy looking perfect on the outside. My house was spotless, my children were immaculate, I kept quiet and tried to only say things that wouldn't show people I was different. I avoided judgement but I was also missing joy! I kept people out and I tried to stay numb.
There weren't many tears then but I wasn't happy either. I was afraid mostly. Afraid of being seen and found wanting.
Since I broke out of that prison, I've cried a lot! I let the sad out, but mostly I cry happy tears! I get so overwhelmed with love and joy because I'm really living! Yes, there are risks and yes I get judged but I'd rather be living and get a few haters than live a bland, unfilling, unremarkable life! That's what I was doing.
If you knew you only had today, what would you do with it, what would you want to communicate, what legacy would you want to leave behind? What impact would you want to make on the world?
I want to encourage emotional and physical healing on a large scale. I want everyone that comes in contact with me to feel more empowered and free to be who they are. I want them to walk away seeing their worth more clearly!
So everyday that's my focus and living with that mission gives me chills! And when I see my life affecting others in that way I am brought to tears! Healing tears that come from my pain becoming my strength.💗
Live to the point of tears, my friends! Whether it's a lesson you learn or an adventure you have, the experiences you gain grow you and create a life that serves the world.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. ". Theodore Roosevelt

​This morning one of my friends posted this quote from Tish Harrison Warren's book, "Liturgy of the Ordinary: sacred practices in everyday life" 

"When I brush my teeth I am pushing back, in the smallest of ways, the death and chaos that will inevitably overtake my body. I am dust polishing dust. And yet I am not only dust. When God formed people from the dust, he breathed into us-through our lips and teeth-his very breath.

So I will fight against my body's fallenness. I will care for it as best I can, knowing that my body is sacred and that caring for it (and for the other bodies around me) is a holy act. I'll hold onto the truth that my body, in all its brokenness, is beloved, and that one day it will be, like the resurrected body of Christ, glorious."

This eloquently puts into words the perspective change that happened not only in my mind, but in my heart! Showing up for myself, fighting against my body's fallenness, treating my body as sacred, it became a holy act.

It allowed me to see my worth, to feel deep gratitude, and ultimately LOVE my body with all it's imperfections and flaws. We cannot reach this point when we view our body as the enemy, that which holds us back from acceptance and happiness. It's only when see it as a miracle, the vessel that was breathed into life and allows us to connect with others mentally, emotionally, and physically, that we can rise up as a warrior to fight for it and to encourage others to do the same! 

The accepted perspective is that if a person looks a certain way how they treat their bodies doesn't matter. It's about youthful attractive appearances and yet that perspective tears us down. It leads to eating orders, unhappiness, and isolation.

Some of the greatest warriors I know, the ones that show up for themselves, aren't a size two. They struggle with illnesses that threaten to steal the quality of their life and they responded with a battle cry! They grasp what is eluding most of our culture: the quality of this life is affected by how we treat our body.

Those of us blessed with good health can get complacent about this and it steals our joy! Caring for our bodies because they are a gift and because they are ours and not to punish them into an unattainable mold changes the way we feel about them and how we feel about a healthy lifestyle.

When we decide to stop hiding our imperfections, to stop trying to look shiny and be admired and instead choose to be real and to truly love ourselves, we find that true health means the combination of a healthy mind, a healthy body, a healthy soul. When one is off balance, it affects the others. And so, we must fight because true health is freedom!💗

We just started our Freedom Focused Challenge Group today and there is still time to join!  If you have seen your healthy journey as a deprivation or a chore, if you feel that your worth is tied to your pants size, if you feel isolated and disconnected from others, consider joining us. Chasing admiration and living in fear of others seeing flaws is exhausting! Living in freedom is what we truly need! 💗 Message me for more info!

Yes, yes, I know! I'm a coach! But let's face it. We can't live in a bubble where we avoid all friends, family, parties, and celebrations forever, right? Maybe temporarily while we work through a program or lose a set amount of weight but life happens and having a plan makes you prepared. So here are my rules, I hope they help you!

1. Always make it a tall. I know its hard to buy a smaller Starbucks beverage when you can get a Grande for 50 cents more but you are also adding to your waistline! I also order my caramel macchiato  "skinny" to remove some calories. 140 for a skinny, 228 for a regular and it tastes delicious. Order the smaller beverage and enjoy your treat!


2. Dessert. When out with friends I often struggle not because I want the dessert but I stand out and make others feel  self conscious about ordering it themselves. ( The curse of the skinny girl coach) A lot of restaurants now offer sampler size desserts and I'll get one of those. Could I eat ten of those? Easily! But I get to participate without sabotaging my hard work.

3.Get a to-go box brought to you when you receive your food. It's America. Our portions are ridiculously big. If you have been working out even for a short time, you know you can't eat all that and stick to your nutrition plan. I will box up the portion I shouldn't eat before I take the first bite, because if I don't I will eat the whole darn thing!

4.Fast Food. We shouldn't eat it, we know that. However, you will at some point get dragged to a fast food restaurant with a herd of people after an event or church ect. I only allow myself to order grilled chicken sandwiches or salad, no matter what smells good. I order water or unsweet tea, I get fruit instead of french fries or skip the fries if fruits not an option. Period. No exceptions. 

5.Baked Goods. You know there are those days you just want prepackaged cookies or cake or donuts ect. When I do splurge on a treat like that, I try to buy them in the bakery where they have been made fresh with no chemicals or preservatives or buy organic treats like Annie's organic cookies. Processed Foods that have chemical preservatives or non food ingredients break are  not recognized by your body and so they get stored in your fat cells! It's hard to remove them from your system without a detox, so don't put them in! If you have a treat, make it real food. I also stock on healthy recipe ideas that are delicious like Chocolate Covered Katie's dessert cook book. I make a version of her banana chocolate chip muffins with whole wheat flour and coconut sugar ( which is full of all kinds of good things). They aren't 21 Day Fixed approved but they are MUCH healthier than buying a muffin made with white flour and white sugar.

6. Wine when you dine. Wine is approved on the 21 Day Fix nutrition plan so that's a plus but skipping mixed drinks full of sugar and syrups ( and often those non food chemicals) will help keep you on track and keep seeing results you are working towards!

These are the basic treat rules that I follow! If you have some of your own share them below!

image from www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com