​​Angels of Valor
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COntinuous Improvement

11/6/2017

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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! 💗
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Live To The Point Of Tears

11/6/2017

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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
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Creating Your Wardrobe 101!

11/6/2017

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Yesterday was awesome! I spent the majority of the day trying on everything in my closet and making decisions on how to trim down so I could easily find things I want to wear as well as part with things that weren't me that I hadn't touched in ages! My closet feels organized and my decisions today were a breeze! 

I have received a ton of messages from you ladies asking about certain pieces I posted, where I shop, and how I decided what to keep. My weakness might be organization but, after 15 years as a buyer, creating a wardrobe is a strength!

I know there is a lot of talk about capsule wardrobes right now and I think they are great...for some people! I LOVE clothes and while my style is definitely casual I have a lot of boots and sweaters and jackets and things I truly love and a capsule wardrobe is just not going to work for me! However, I did break it down into categories and realized the reason I didn't wear certain pieces I love is because my wardrobe was missing some staple pieces. Over time, things get worn out or lost, or don't fit anymore and that can break down the usefulness of the things we have. We also have to realize when we are holding onto something emotionally that we will never wear again 

So I am going live on Friday at 6pm EST to talk about creating a wardrobe. I'll touch on how to find your stores, how to get the best deals, how many items in each category is reasonable, what staples everyone should invest in. and discuss how to find your style if you feel lost!

Is your closet full but you feel like you never have anything to wear? Do you feel like you need things but when you go shopping you don't come back with items that expand your wardrobe? Do shopping trips make you feel worse about yourself so you avoid them? Or do you shop all the time and feel like you waste time and money and still aren't in love with your wardrobe? 

Come join us Friday night in our Heart of a Warrior group as we continue to get organized with Creating Your Wardrobe 101! If you can't make it live, the call will be posted for you to catch up on later! Link below!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/316784275426292/
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Freedom FOcused

10/30/2017

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​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!
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Healing And Transformation

2/2/2017

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I don't really know when beauty started being so important to me. I remember being told I was a beautiful child, I remember feeling confident and loving my body. And then, as I got older, people's comments ( mostly not even about me) started chipping away at this broad view I had of what was beautiful until it became so narrow that there was no room for me. I became insecure, self-conscious, and discontent.

WHO I was didn't even enter the equation. I think a lot of women feel this way. We are told our worth and power are found in our physical beauty but nothing could be farther from the truth!

When it comes to OTHER people, we know this right? When we talk about people we love, we don't start with what they look like, do we? We talk about how kind, honest, intelligent, loving, strong, gentle they are ( or add your favorite adjective! ;) ). So why don't we give ourselves credit for these things?

I love the quote, " What you focus on expands." When our eyes are constantly on our flaws and faults, they seem bigger than life. We are in a state of hustling for our worth and trying to fix, or even punish, ourselves in light of the perceived lack. We hide behind made-up faces and trends. We are afraid of being seen, of being judged, and we feel shame for everything that we are not.

Instead, our focus needs to be on what we ARE. When we dive into self discovery, when we glory in our strengths and interests, we find those that need us, we strengthen our ability to serve others. When we focus on our strengths, our strengths grow and transform us, taking our weaknesses right along with them!

The hardest part is that in order to heal and grow, we have to step into the light. We have to be seen. We have to brave others opinions, disapproval, and judgement. We have to.

Imagine, if you will, a tough mudder competition or obstacle course. Your obstacles lie in a straight line up ahead and hundreds, maybe even thousands of people, line the course on either side. You can either stand frozen or you can tackle the course. If you focus on the crowd, you might become disheartened by those that are jeering, you might get insecure by those that watch silently, you might hone in on only those cheering for you but they are still a distraction. It's only you and the course. It's your job to tune it out and focus on the task ahead.

It doesn't matter how many times it takes you to overcome an obstacle, it doesn't matter how long it takes you to complete the course, you are stronger when you finish than when you got started, and the only people who's opinions should matter are those that are battling it with you. I can promise you this, no one that is in the arena with you will judge you. Those that are in the fight, respect you for simply being there, because that is more than most people will even try. They will encourage you and support you. You find these people by stepping out into the light so they can see you.

It hurts at first. i won't lie. When I decided I was done hiding, I would speak my heart and then regret it. I would post things on social media and then take them down in a panic only to put them back up again. You know what happened though? Those of you in the arena began to encourage me. You helped me take my eyes of the crowd and focus on the task at hand.

Healing was uncomfortable but the more I sought after it, the stronger I became and the more I transformed, until one day I looked at my reflection and marveled at the beauty of my own transformation. I want that moment for EVERY woman.

That is the moment we become most beautiful, when our hearts, minds, and bodies are strong, we know what we are fighting for, and we go forward with courage! There is NOTHING more beautiful than that!

The beauty we long for has nothing to do with the body we were born with and EVERYTHING to do with how we choose to use it.
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The Skinny Girl's Guide to Sneaking Treats

8/21/2015

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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!


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image from www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com
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Forget the Ducks!

7/25/2015

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When I was 21, my parents separated and I moved in with my mom to contribute financially while she figured out what the next step was and help her with 4 of my siblings that were still at home. She had gotten married at 17 and hadn't had a job outside the home in over 20 years. We were having a family meeting at the dining room table in our new home and we were discussing all the details of both of us working, both of us going to school, looking at buying a house, where the kids were going to go to school, budgets, and more. My mom, emotionally and physically exhausted said, " Maybe I need to quit school until I get my ducks in a row." In a moment of divine clarity, I literally yelled, " No! Forget the ducks! There are no ducks!" And it immediately became a family quote! 

My mom stayed in school and went on to become an RN and was able to buy a house and be self sufficient. Too often we are waiting on the right timing circumstances or provision to take action, but those things don't exist. If you want to change your life, you have to make a plan and make it happen! The time is going to pass whether you take action or not. Where do you want to be in a year, 5 years, 10 years? Write it out! Make steps. Start today! And most importantly, Forget the ducks!
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    Author

    "And Aubrey was her name. A not so very ordinary girl or name."(Or so says David Gates ;) I'm a wife to Phillip, a mother to Scarlett and Juliet. We live in the beautiful city of Thornton, Co. I'm a recovering red bull addict. I love to read. I hate to cook. I seek to be inspired and also to inspire others.  I am a Beachbody Coach on a quest to be truly healthy mind, soul, and body and challenge others to do the same.

    "Liberate the minds of men and ultimately you will liberate the bodies of men."  Marcus Garvey

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