Clean Eating Challenge: Days 12-20

Click Here to read about Days 1-4.
Click Here to read about Days 5-11.

Motivation is defined as "the act or instance of motivating, or providing with a reason to act in a certain way."

A reason to act in a certain way. A reason to act. To act. This means taking action, and no longer sitting around idle waiting for someday to come. Someday is now!

Am I motivated? Yes! Today is day 20 of the Clean Eating Challenge and I'm down 7 lbs and over 2". I would call that some pretty good motivation. I'm only 5 lbs from my goal weight. We all have different goals and expectation with this challenge, but I went in with the intentions (or should I say motivation) to shed the last of my baby weight, to be an example to our daughters, and to start eating healthy for the rest of my life. I had three beautiful girls in 3 1/2 years so my body was never able to shed the pounds before getting pregnant again. My youngest will be two in a few weeks so one of the best gifts I can give her is a healthy mommy. I may not lose the last 5 lbs in those two weeks, but I know that I won't stop until I reach my goal. On that glorious day, I will weigh what I did when I got pregnant with my first child. Motivation? Without a doubt!

Here is a list of changes that I've noticed 20 days into the challenge:

• First off, I can't believe it's day 20. I thought when this challenge started that I would be counting down the days, but I'm not. I actually had to look at the calendar to figure out what day we were on.
• My energy level is still surprising me. I did nap twice last week (because it was a certain week of the month, if you catch my drift), but they were only 30 minute naps and I was up and going without dragging.
• My muffin top, which I gave some pretty good reasons excuses for still having, is almost gone.
• My workouts are more effective. It's amazing how much better your body feels and performs when it's working WITH the food you eat, instead of working against it.

My biggest challenge this week:

• A couple of times I waited too long to eat because we were out running errands so everything started to sound good. I mean everything. I could have scarfed down a bag of Cheetos when I got home, but I didn't. I ate a few almonds to hold me over until my food (smoothie or dinner) was ready.
• The Fit Chews came in really handy this week! Remember that certain week of the month that I mentioned before? Well, it brought with it a pretty hefty sweet tooth so I would eat a Fit Chew (or two or maybe even three) and be fine.

Product Reviews:

• Fit Kit (consists of two bags of protein, two fizz sticks, two fit chews, two detox teas, and one bag of fiber): I'm excited to say that quite a few of my team members are continuing the challenge into February and even beyond that. I'm so proud of each of the individual accomplishments that I'm hearing. I will give you LOTS of testimonials with next weeks final post about the Jan Challenge.
• Philippians 1:25 - "Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy"
• Fit Chews - I didn't think I would have much use for these, but I ordered them because I knew that I would give some away as samples. Thank goodness I had them last week! They were a life saver when my sweet tooth would try to get the best of me. They come in lemon, caramel, and chocolate. The chocolate are really good with a few almonds. I mean, come on, anything with chocolate and almonds is wonderful! Can I get an Amen?!

So, I know I said that I'll post testimonials next week, but I couldn't resist giving you a sneak peek. This is from my awesome mom. I'm SO proud of the progress that she and my dad are making.

"Wow!!! I am very excited about my Blood Sugar number: 126. This is amazing. Last week on weigh in day it was 209. A year ago it was staying in the 300s and I was put on more meds. I take 6 pills a day to lower my Blood Sugar. Yesterday I only took 4 of my pills and still got a great number. We started this quest to feel better, lose weight, and change our eating habits to healthy choices. We were hoping for better Blood Sugar and Blood Pressure numbers and to take less pills. We both are progressing successfully toward our goals and the weight will come off with more time. We are satisfied with what we have lost and are going to continue on this plan next month, too."



If you're wondering if this challenge is for you, then please contact me (morrison25@cox.net). I would love to share more information with you. I know that a lot of the initial info can be overwhelming, so I will break it down to show you that the program can, and will, work for you. No two people will go in with the same goals, and no two people will come out with the same results.

Big Changes = Big Rewards

I've worked at my current job for 11 years. I went from full time to part time work 5 1/2 years ago after my first daughter was born, and I've been part time ever since. I love my job, and (most of - kidding) the people that I work with. That being said, about two weeks ago, my boss gave me two options going into 2014...

• Option 1 - work full time
• Option 2 - work from home with much less pay

Hmmm. Anyone in their right mind would go full time so that their finances would be secure. Well, anyone but me. I chose option 2. I chose to stay home. I chose to spend the majority of my time with the people who mean the most to me. In the short 5 1/2 years that I've been a mom, I've already noticed how quickly the time goes by. I see our three beautiful daughters growing up and I don't want to miss this opportunity. I want to be there to kiss their boo-boo's, to teach them right from wrong, and to simply hold them. I'm willing to sacrifice the easy road for the road less traveled. I'm willing to cut back our finances like they've never been cut back before ... because someone once told me ... "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jer 29:11)

Since that meeting with my boss, I've had two songs stuck in my head...

'Lift My Life Up' by Unspoken

You brought me this far, so why would I question you now?

You have provided, so why would I start to doubt?

I've never been stranded, abandoned, or left here to fight alone

So I'm giving you control

I lift my life, lift my life up

I give it all in surrender

I lift my heart, lift my heart up

You can have it forever

All my dreams, all my plans

Lord, I leave it in your hands

If peace is a river, then let it sweep over me

If I'm under fire, I know it's refining me

When I hear you calling out, I'll follow now wherever the road may go

I know you're leading me home

-And-

'Oceans' by Hillsong

Your grace abounds in deepest waters

Your sovereign hand will be my guide

Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me

You've never failed and you won't start now

So I will call upon your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in your embrace

For I am yours, and you are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever you would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior

So, over the next few weeks, we will be transitioning to me staying at home. Honestly, my brain is still trying to adjust to not driving to an office every week. I can't quite wrap my head around it, but I'm looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to enjoying my kids. I mean truly enjoying them. No more rushing around in the mornings. No more driving 45 minutes to drop the girls off at two different locations before heading to the office. No more feeling guilty about getting to the office a few minutes late because someone couldn't find a shoe. No more coming home just to walk in the door for quick hugs so that I can get dinner started and get everyone fed. No more. No. More. More time. More hugs. More love. More moments like this picture below. Yes. More.



Clean Eating Challenge: Days 5-11

Click Here to read about Days 1-4.

I came across this picture as I was committing to the Clean Eating Challenge. This picture says a lot, and it can be applied to many areas of life. For me, it was exactly what I needed to build myself up for the challenge. Would it be hard? Would I have to step out of my comfort zone? Would I succeed? The answer to all of these questions is YES!

Here are a list of changes that I've noticed 11 days into the challenge:

• My energy level is still going strong! I feel energized when I wake up and all the way until bedtime. I used to feel my body shutting down around 8:30pm, but not anymore. On that note, I do fall asleep just fine when I'm ready for bed - meaning, the added energy is not keeping me awake.
• I thought I slept well before (when my kids didn't wake me up in the middle of the night) so I was not expecting a change here, but I definitely sleep more soundly now. I wake up ready for the day, and not groggy like I used to. I don't want to hit the snooze button anymore. I've even waken up twice before my alarm went off because my body was fully rested! This is seriously amazing considering I have a 5, 3, and 1 year old!
• I've lost weight and inches, but I won't reveal those numbers until the end.
• We do a LOT more dishes, which makes sense because we're not eating out and we're preparing more fresh foods from home. I used to think having three cutting boards was pointless, and now I'm struggling to keep them all clean!

My biggest challenge this week:

• On Day 8, I drove past a restaurant ... ok, I was like 1/2 a mile from it, but I knew that it was there ... and I thought, "we need to eat there this weekend." This was the first time that I've had a thought like that. I then went on to think of what I would eat. And, then I switched to a more healthy meal, but I still slathered lots of honey mustard on that salad ... yummm ... wait stop!
• This challenge is about discipline. Discipline is defined as:
• Training to act in accordance with rules
• Activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill
• A rigor, or training effect of experience, adversity
• This challenge is about capturing your thoughts, remaining focused, and keeping the end goal in sight.
• Philippians 3:14 - I press on toward the goal to win the prize

Product Reviews:

• I'll be real honest here. The first time I tried a Fizz Stick in my water, I hated it. Hated. It. I'm a good old fashioned water drinker, and I don't like "fancy" stuff in my water. I now know that I didn't use enough water and the fizz stick completely overwhelmed the drink. So, on my second try I used a lot more water and I let the drink sit for about 10 minutes so that some of the "fizz" would wear off and it was great!
• I fill a 30oz Nalgene bottle with water every morning. Once my first bottle is gone, I refill it with about 20oz and I add a Fizz Stick. This is my "treat" for getting the first 30oz down. Once that's gone, I refill the bottle with another 30oz of regular water and finish the day with that.
• Last Friday, I forgot to take a Fizz Stick to work so my "treat" was good old water again. Big bummer!

If you are interested in this challenge, then please contact me! I would love to help you start your journey to a healthier lifestyle. My goal is to have 10 people on my team each month, but I won't stop at 10 if it means changing a life. My Feb team is almost full, so please let me know if you would like more information about this challenge. I belive in you!

Clean Eating Challenge: Days 1-4

That quote says it all! A group of my friends and family, along with myself, are participating in the Arbonne Clean Eating Challenge this month. I'll be honest, when I first heard about this challenge last April, I had 0% interest in changing the way I eat. Just the thought of cleaning up my meals seemed overwhelming. Until, two of my friends wrote out an entire month long menu and shopping guide for everyone doing the challenge. The Arbonne Fit Kit (these are tools, such as vegan based protein, to help detoxify your body throughout the month) has been around for many years, but the menu and shopping guide are exclusive to our team members only! These two key pieces suddenly made this challenge doable ... not so scary. So, I signed up. Why not give it a try?!


If you're wondering if this challenge is for you, then take a look at my wide range of team members:

• Our age range is 30's to 70's
• We are both male & female
• Some attend boot camp/run & some don't exercise at all
• One is a nursing mom
• One has hypoglycemia - aka low blood sugar (that's me)
• Some are Stay at Home Moms, some work part time/full time, and some are retired
• Some live in Oklahoma and some live out of state

This amazing group has started the month off strong. However, our new eating habits won't stop on Jan 31st. The goal of this Challenge is to (re)train your brain to look at food as a source of fuel instead of just eating to eat. Another goal is to cut out all gluten, dairy, etc to give your body a break from those items that carry high allergens. At the end of the challenge, these foods will be added back in (if you choose) one at a time to see how your body reacts, and to pinpoint if you have an allergy to certain types of foods.


Here is a list of changes that I've already noticed just 4 Days into the Challenge:

• I had more energy at my soccer game today
• I've had more energy throughout the day, even into the late evening
• After church this morning, we stopped at QT to fill up the car with gas. The cold, snowy weather made me immediately think of a warm Cappuchino, but I resisted the urge to get one.
• My mind now plans meals in advance instead of opting to grab a bite to eat while we're out. For instance, our soccer game was a 4:15pm today so it would have been so easy to pick up our kids and grab drive-thru on the way home, but we didn't. I had pre-planned our dinner and even prepped the food so that it would be easier to fix when we got home. Not only did we eat healthier, but we also saved money by not eating out!

My biggest challenge so far:

• Keeping my blood sugar up. With hypoglycemia, my sugar level tends to drop throughout the day if I don't eat the right kind of foods, so I've had to keep an eye on that. I was diagnosed 12 years ago so I've been eating 5-6 meals a day for many years. But, I'll be honest, I know how to "cheat the system." I know how to eat some candy here, a piece of cake there, and it was time to stop those bad habits and get back to the basics that a nutritionist taught me 12 years ago.
• That being said, these first few days have been easier for me than most because I cut out all pop, sugary drinks 12 years ago. I went cold turkey because I had to if I wanted to help my body regulate sugar properly. I feel for my friends that are cutting out the pop/coffee and suffering from headaches. I've been there. And, my best advice is to stay strong. After 3-4 days, you won't miss the drinks that you just "had to have" before starting this challenge. (The Arbonne Fit Kit offers tools to help you get through these cravings.)

TMI Zone:

• Day 4 - I've had some hearty poops today, and they do not smell pleasant. I almost used my lethal weapon of gas during our soccer game, but I decided against it for the sake of my teammates. You're welcome.

Product Reviews from my team:

• Arbonne Vanilla Protein - "It tastes like cake batter!"
• Fizz Sticks - "A pleasant change to my regular water intake."
• Menu & Shopping Guide - "I'm making meals I never thought I would make, and they are fantastic. So far, all of the meals will become part of our regular dinner rotation."

You may ask, "What in the world are you eating?" Well, here is a sample to show you that it's not some crazy diet or fad. It's just good old fashioned clean eating. (Please note: if you want to lose weight then you will do two smoothies a day and one healthy meal, but if you want to maintain your weight then you'll do one smoothie a day and two healthy meals). Not only do I want to focus on eating better, but I would like to lose the last of the baby weight that I put on with my three pregnancies. Keep in mind that everyone's goals are different:

• Day 1
• Before Boot camp at 5:30am - One rice cake with almond butter. Moment of honesty - we went to two different stores and neither of them had plain rice cakes in stock so I ate the chocolate ones I already had at home. It's ok. I'll buy the other ones the next time I'm at the store.
• Breakfast - Smoothie packed with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, Arbonne vanilla protein, banana (for my low blood sugar), frozen berries, spinach, and super greens. You can also add the Arbonne Fiber, but I'm choosing not to at this time since my "system" runs pretty good on its own. Lunch - Smoothie
• Snack - Arbonne Fizz Stick (packed with vitamins, but no artificial flavor - like Crystal Light packets) in my water, rice cake with almond butter
• Dinner - Whole roasted organic chicken with baked sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli. This was the first time I had ever touched a whole chicken (I dispise eating meat off the bone) so I was rather impressed with myself. The meal was fantastic, and our kids loved it as well! For those that don't know, our kids are 5, 3, and 1 and they can be pretty picky eaters.
• Snack - Detox tea, and a rice cake with almond butter because I felt my sugar dropping
• Day 2
• Breakfast - Smoothie
• Snack - Rice cake with almond butter
• Lunch - Smoothie
• Snack - Rice cake with almond butter, fizz stick, and a handful of almonds (a little later).
• Dinner - Turkey Chili
• Snack - Detox tea, and a rice cake with almond butter
• 2nd Snack - We were up late watching football bowl games so I had a handful of almonds
• Day 3
• Breakfast - Smoothie
• Snack - Rice cake with almond butter, and a fizz stick
• Lunch - Left over Turkey Chili
• Snack - Almonds, pistachios
• Dinner - Prepared by my vegan sister in law. It was awesome! Baked sweet potatoes/squash/brussel sprouts, tofurkey, kale/brussel sprout/walnut salad with home made lemon dressing, and freekeh. (If you have no idea what some of those foods are then you're not alone. It was a pleasant learning curve for most of my family.)
• Snack - Detox tea, rice cake with almond butter
• Day 4
• Breakfast - Smoothie
• Snack - Almonds (at church)
• Lunch - Smoothie
• Snack - Two rice cakes with almond butter before our soccer game. Fizz stick in my water at the game.
• Dinner - Burrito Bowl which consisted of the left over Whole Roasted Chicken, brown rice, black beans, tomato, and avocado.

 

This was my first attempt at a whole chicken - Delicious!

 

 

In a nutshell, that is our challenge. It's not weird. It's not scary. So, if this post sparked your interest and you would like to join my team for February then please let me know. I will be putting together groups of 10 each month to go through this challenge so I would love for you to join my group! I currently have 4 signed up for Feb.

If you have questions, then please contact me at morrison25@cox.net. I would love to give you more details about the Arbonne Fit Kit and the tools to help you succeed at this life changing challenge!

Product Review: Flat Hair-itis

Flat Hair-itis is defined as "flat or lifeless hair that hangs straight and without body."

I suffer from this condition. There, I said it. I have Flat Hair-itis. It has plagued me my whole life. Maybe you or someone you know also suffers from this condition. Yes?! Anybody?! Please say I'm not alone.

Over the years, I have tried lots of haircuts and lots of products, but nothing has worked well for my flat hair. As I was reading through my Arbonne catalog, I noticed that they make a Pure Vibrance Texturizing Mousse. And, part of the description says that it is "specially formulated to build natural volume and manageability." I wanted to try it, but I'll be honest, I wasn't getting my hopes up. After all, I've heard these promises before.

So, I ordered the mousse and I've been using it for the past three days. Let me tell you ... it's awesome! No joke. I could tell a difference the first day. The mousse passed the test when my hair still had volume at 8pm the first day that I used it. The description says to use two pumps of the mousse, but on day three, I just used one pump and I still felt like I had more volume than I had before using this product. I'll admit it. I'm sold!

My Friends - if you suffer from Flat Hair-itis, I would like to recommend that you try this product. It retails for $28 and I can place an order for you anytime. I'm a believer!

My First Half Marathon - 13.1 Miles

Today, I ran my first Half Marathon. Months of training came down to this one day and the picture above can pretty much tell the story. It was F.R.E.E.Z.I.N.G, literally. I've run in heat, rain, thunderstorms, snow, and even cold weather ... but I've never run 13.1 miles in 20 degree weather. This race was a huge mix of physical and mental ability.

My husband and I started the race bundled up. I started off wearing a hat, scarf, short sleeve dri-fit shirt, long sleeve dri-fit shirt, a fleece, lined leather gloves, long winter running tights, socks and shoes. I finished still wearing all of that! The only thing I changed was my gloves because the first pair got sweaty and my fingers refroze so I had to switch to the back up pair that I had in my pocket. Brrr.

Speaking of freezing ... my fingers and toes were frozen at the start of the race. They finally thawed out around mile two. My toes were fine from then on, but my fingers refroze as we ran down Riverside since it runs along the Arkansas River. You could definitely feel a significant temperature drop while running by the river.

Play-by-Play:

• Mile 2 - Like I said before, things were starting to thaw out. Also around mile 2, both of the IT bands in my knees started to hurt. I've had trouble with these in the past, but not usually that early in a race. They hurt off and on the rest of the race.
• Mile 3 - I could feel a blister forming on my left foot even though I took every precaution to prevent this from happening, ugh.
• Mile 4 - We stopped so my husband could take a quick potty break.
• Mile 6 - We saw this guy! Can you tell who he is?

• Mile 7 - We had a layer of frost over the back of our shoulders. My husband also had snot crystals frozen in his mustache. Impressive.
• Mile 8 - I told my husband that we only had 5 miles to go and then we could do nothing the rest of the day ... except watch our energetic kids! My fingers froze for the third time.
• Mile 9 - I surpassed the farthest distance I had ever run at one time (15K just 4 weeks ago).
• Mile 10 - I'm debating which one was harder -  this freezing run or giving birth three times.
• Mile 11 - I was delirious. We were walking up a steep hill when my husband started doing the Sasquatch walk to stretch out his legs. I lost it. I was laughing so hard ... from him, from the ridiculous pain in my legs, from the fact that my fingers were still frozen ... everything was funny at that point. While laughing, I blew snot out my nose and it started to freeze on my lip. This was insane!
• Mile 12 - A.L.M.O.S.T. Done! My husband was a huge cheerleader for me at this point. I was excited to finish, but I was cold and my IT bands were done. While going down our last hill, my knees almost gave out. I had to stop and walk until we were on level ground again. He continued to encourage me and we finished strong.
• Mile 13.1 - D.O.N.E! Thank God! Our unoffical time was 2:53 - leaving room for improvement.

After the race, we got our medals and warm plastic tarps, and we headed to the food tent. We ate a little bit and bundled up to sit down, to stretch, and to wait on my brother to finish the marathon. While waiting, we got to congratulate various friends as they finished the race. What a blessing!

By the way, my brother finished in 3:43, which was 30 minutes better than his previous best time. Way to go! Check out his icicle stache below.

Overall, I'm certainly glad that's over. I said around mile 8 that I would never run a half again. I'm fairly certain now, 10 hours later, that I will run it again. However, I will make sure that the weather will be warmer next time.

Hebrews 12:1 - "...let us throw off everything that hinders (aka bad weather) ... And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

Having A Ball

Our Children's Director at church is amazing! Miss Vicki puts in countless hours to make sure that our kids are well taken care of. She has been a blessing to our family and our church. Vicki recently decided to start an outreach mission that the kids could be involved in. She has a friend that travels to Africa to work with children in an orphanage. Her friend is going back to see the children at the end of the month so our church is collecting toys for the kids, and money so that they can purchase bed nets, etc. We are excited to support this mission especially since our items will be taken and delivered to the kids by hand. Vicki's friend will also send back pictures of the kids after they receive the items. This is a HUGE lesson for our kids. Not only do they see me buy the items at the store, but they get to follow the items until it gets into the hands of a little child just like them. Below are the racquet balls that we purchased as our gift to give the children. They have racquets, but they've been playing with wadded up pieces of paper because they don't have balls.



I chose three balls because we have three kids. I opened the package to let each of the girls play with a ball. We talked about the kids that will receive the balls and we held hands and prayed for their safe delivery and for the children. The girls were so excited to be able to bless other kids just like them.

Afterwards, I found it ironic to take these pictures in the girls' playroom. We have an entire room in our house dedicated to "play" while these orphaned kids live with much, much less. I'm definitely counting my blessings today ... and every day.

Acts 20:35 - "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”