Last but not Least..

This is my third pregnancy and by far one of the toughest ones I've gone through so far, even after getting pregnant 6 months after my firstborn! How could this be my toughest pregnancy, you may ask? You'd think it would be easy at this point, right? I mean I know what to expect after two, and I've read that book a few times through as well. Maybe it's having two toddlers to chase around all day, take care of the house, prepare meals, laundry, dealing with RA, trying to have a social life and working? But no, the truth is none of those things are the reason it has been so tough for me. It been so tough because it's my last pregnancy, it's the end of an era. I get really sad sometimes because of all these things that will be my last time to experience. The last time to see that postitive pregnancy test and feel my heart almost burst through my chest, the last time to feel that sweet little kick for the first time, the last time to have a miracle happen inside of me, the last time to gently rub my big belly and think of all the possibilities that this child will bring, the last time I can ever wear those awesome full panel pregnancy pants, the last of so many wonderful moments of creating life! I have to keep telling myself there are lots of other great firsts that will come from all these lasts. I will very much miss these days and wish there was a way I could capture these moments and feelings, that are more than a picture or even words can describe or explain! I still have 20 weeks left in this pregnancy and even though there have been some very uncomfortable moments (as pregnancy sometimes does bring) I will enjoy and cherish every one for it is my last. And I am forever grateful to God for letting someone like me get to experince something so perfect, amazing and wonderful the gift of life.

Review of Jamie Eason Live Fit Trainer Program

So this January I decided to challange my health and fitness and push myself to the limits. I took on the Jamie Eason LiveFit Trainer 12 week program on bodybuilding.com website. This program has been so amazing. I've learned so much and changed so much physically and mentally! I highly recommend this program to EVERYONE and ANYONE. It's great for all ages, all body types, and walks of life. ( I mean I could do it, which I think says a lot)
Why is this the best program? Let me tell you! I personally think that it's important to incorporate weight training with cardio to get maximum results. (especially to reshape your body) This program does it perfectly. Jamie breaks the 12 weeks up into 3 phases, the first one is focused on weightlifting for each muscle group, but no cardio and eating properly (clean meals 5-6x daily). It was hard to trust the process but it was vital to build some serious muscle in that first phase. She also starts you off slow, like 4 days lifting and 3 days rest. The next phase she incorporates cardio with weightlifting(5-6x week) and stopping carbs after like 3-4pm (I forget the exact time). This phase you really start to see fat burn, it' s totally AWESOME! Phase 3 is INSANE, but the results are phenomenal! In phase 3 Jamie has you start counting calories and then also carb cycling (which I LOVE). This phases also has some serious workouts, HITT training, super sets, circuit workouts, and a few days of hour long cardio (not my favorite) to name a few(6x/wk). That's another great thing about this program the workouts were always changing and mixed up it was so fun to try new things and get out of my comfort zone a bit. Jamie also has some amazing and delicious recipes to go with her program. And one of the best things is this program is 100% free on bodybuilding.com.

I could probably talk about this FOREVER, because I love this kind of stuff! It also has really changed my life and my mindset on health, food, fitness, and wellness.  If you do this program you will not be let down, but give it your all for best results!

OK SO here are the before and after pics (I hate posting these, but the results speak for themselves and you can see the program REALLY works!!)

OK so I lost a total of 20lbs! And my body fat % went down from 22-16%. I gained 1 in on my biceps and lost 5 inches from my waist and lost 2 in on my thighs. I lost alot of weight with this program more than I thought I would, but I lost more than just weight. I lost bad eating habits, and I lost my never ending excuses. I also gained so much with this experience, and not just muscle! I gained more self confidence, more self control, and lots of self dicipline. I never thought I would be able to do this for so many reasons, kids, work, wife duties, stress, health issues, finances, no time, I hated eating healthy ALL the time, and who knows what else. I truly believe if I can do this anyone else can! I'm thankful for my husbands support during this 12 week challenge. He was always encouraging me and motivating me. He would always push me when I needed pushed! I am so grateful for his love and support. I'm also thankful to God for giving me strength and motivation through the hard times. I had lots of times where I wanted to quit or thought I can't do this, but I got strength from somewhere and it sure as heck was not me at the time. :)

I'm gonna be honest here and say I stuck to the diet part about 92% I was bad with drinking my latte's in the morning and never could quite cut that out. I also had about 5 cheat meals(not days, meals) in the 12 weeks. I also really struggled with finding a balance with getting my marcos right for the carb cycling but by the 12th week I figured out a system. (and it was worth the struggle!) I also highly suggest my fitness pal APP for tracking food. It was a life saver for me!

P.S.  Bodybuilding.com has things really cool app that tells you your workout for the day(depending on which program you choose) and you can track it very specifically (like reps, sets, pounds lifted, time of workout, mood during workout, and rate your workout) It was SO helpful and really made the workouts easy to do!

OK I'm gonna stop typing now, I really love this stuff could talk all day about it! Anyways, follow this link to read all about the Jamie Eason Live Fit 12 week Trainer! I love Jamie Eason, she is so sweet & her story is amazing! I thank her for sharing this program that helped me get my health back.

Why I Started Taking My Life Back

After having 2 kids back to back (only 15 months apart) I put on alot of baby weight and wanted to get rid of it. About a year after my second child I started workout out and eating healthier than before (not super healthy by any means, but better). I was never really consistent with working out and eating well was something I just thought I could never do ( I hated vegetables and most fruits). Then in the Spring of 2014 my RA (Rheumatiod Arthritis) had come back out of remission and more severe than ever ( I had been diagnosed when I was 2 and it went into remission when I was 13). I spiraled into a depression and put on all the weight again and lost any muscle gains, and then with the RA my joints were slowly deteriorating. There were months of depression, terrible eating habits, and hardley any physical activity due to the RA , depression, and negative mindset . I kept telling my husband I wish I could do this or that, get healthy, and go workout again, eat better, etc.. He finally said well, then just go do that, if that's what you want to do then DO IT. It was then it dawned on me, the only one keeping me from doing these things I wanted to do was me. I finally said no more excuses, because there is always an excuse that could hold you back. I started back slowly, doing low impact things and very short workouts. I started some stronger RA medication, and slowly I started lifting weights. Me and my husband make a goals sheet and for each goal we accomplished we got a healthy reward (new workout clothes, shoes, accessories etc..) It definitely motivated me, I love new workout clothes like any other fit girl! We kept hittting our goals and it felt good. After a couple of months of working out consistently, I still wasn't quite satified with the results. I wanted to lean out but I just wasn't getting there. I decided to take my nutrition to the next level. I really was strict with my diet for 2 months and the results were astonishing. Diet is one of the most important things in health and fitness! I loved the results and wanted to see more. My RA was getting more managable with diet, exercise, and medication. So I really started lifting heavier in December and doing some higher intensity cardio. In January I noticed the #200ktransform challenge, and thought this is my chance to really transform and to commit to something for the first time. I am determined to lift heavy, to sweat like crazy, to meal prep for hours, and to eat clean for it all.

I like motivational quotes so here is one I find fitting.. :)

You'll Never Know Unless You Try

So one of the reasons why I started blogging was to keep a resolution I had made for  this year. Another resolution I set out for myself is to try new things. I have always had good intentions for trying something new or different but was always making those excuses again! I was too tired, too busy, too sick, too expensive, too far, too this, or too that BLAH BLAH etc…You get the picture! Anyways so one of the new things I am trying is at least one new healthy recipe every week. I've always been a HUGE veggie hater, so trying to find new veggies and different ways of preparing I've found is quite effective. SIDE NOTE: I also found just forcing yourself to eat a certain veggie you dislike 2x a day for like 2 weeks works too, just not as pleasant. I can eat broccoli now like a champ after my broccoli boot camp! LOL Anyways here are some of my new recipes I've cooked up and so far. I've liked every recipe, as well my husband and kids!

Jamie Eason Turkey Meatloaf Muffins.

Here are the Meatloaf Muffins Cooking.

This is a super awesome recipe, it is great for on the go snacks, quick to make(even with little kids running around), easy ingredients that you probably have on hand right now, so incredibly delicious and healthy for you!

This is my roasted veggie platter. 

To all my other veggies haters, listen up! This is so good, seriously you need to try it. Great recipe to start enjoying veggies and trying new ones! I love a huge assoratment of veggies too! I like all the colors but I also love all the different nutrients I'm getting, plus somehow they seems to all compliment each other.  

This is Hummus Crusted Chicken. 

I love grilled chicken but in the winter its kind of difficult to grill. I have been looking for some good baked chicken recipes that I can make indoors that are healthy, quick, and good. This one was amazing, I defintely recommend . You can make your own hummus or just use some store bought one! I used a roasted red pepper hummus for this chicken.

This week I'm going to be trying some new breakfast recipes. I used to LOVE making breakfast and getting up early, but with my RA mornings are just the worst. The recipes are Egg White Veggie Muffins and Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal. The great thing about both of these recipes is that you can pre make them and just heat them up in the morning for quick, easy , and healthy breakfasts. Some mornings I just need all the help I can get, so I'm hoping these will help with rough mornings.

This resolution has been fun so far! I like finding new ways to eat healthy and I hope others do too!  And don't be nervous about trying new things, you'll never know unless you try!!

12 Week Challenge

I'm challenging myself to 12 weeks of clean eating and working my butt off at the gym! Another one of my resolutions for 2015 was to really modify my diet & push myself harder at the gym. I'm hoping this 12 week challenge will really get me into some good habits and jumpstart some of my fitness goals for this year. The program I'm following is from Bodybuilding.com (and no you don't have to be a bodybuilder to go on that website like I had once thought) They had so many programs to choose from for all ages, and from beginners to bodybuilders, from gaining strength to losing weight, just so much to offer! The program that I chose to do is called Jamie Eason LiveFit Trainer. I really like how her 3 phases of the program breaks down and I'm really excited to see where it takes me.  The first phase is focused on building muscle and good habits for a strong foundation. There is no cardio in the first phase, which I'm not too sad about :) Phase 2 then adds cardio and cuts some carbs from the diet, this will help sculpt muscle and burn body fat (excited for that part!) . Then Final Phase 3 is HIIT training, carb cycling, and super setting with weight lifting.  She also has lots of great recipes to try! They are good for you and they are so DELICIOUS. Turkey Meatloaf Muffins are TO DIE FOR, no joke! Anyways, one of the best parts of this program is that it is TOTALLY FREE!!!! I've never really commited myself to any program or changed my diet/exercise routine dramatically for 12 weeks, so this will really be a challenge! I hope to really gain some good habits, gain strength, and gain confidence with this 12 week challege. If anyone else wants to join me, please do! I'd love some accountability and encouragement.  Here's to a Great Year!

Are you STRONG enough?

A lot of times in my life I have those moments where I question my strength? Am I strong enough for this? Can I do this? Will I make it through this day, week, or year?  Some days I say I can't and give up, other days I take on that challenge or trial and though painful I make it through and come out stronger in the end.  The strength we may be fighting for could be different, maybe its physical strength, emotional strength, mental strength, or even spiritual strength. But there is one thing we can ALL count on and that is this: "You were GIVEN this life because you ARE strong enough to live it." God never gives us anything we can't handle, and He never puts circumstances/trials in our life that we cannot overcome.

Today I had a pretty rough morning, a routine doctor appointment that turned into a 3 hour nightmare and still is not quite settled. I really felt defeated and upset. Along with other circumstances going on in our life it was like the straw that broke the camel's back. I totally broke down once I left the doctor's office. I felt so weak and like I kept getting hit while I was already down.

 I went on with my day feeling very deafeated and down about all these different things.  Then after dinner and putting the kids to bed, I went to workout (which I really had to remind myself about my NO EXCUSES resolution, cause I REALLY did not want to go).  

At the gym, I had time to think about my day and kind of replay it in my mind. I started feeling guilty about my bad attitude towards the circumstances/trails in my life. I felt bad that I questioned my strength and then I felt bad because I was then questioning God's strength and His plan for my life. 

So there on that elliptical sweating out some serious emotions, I deciced to let things go that are out of my control and let God take over. He will give me the strength I need, no matter what life will throw at me.  For in my weakness, He is strong. I do have to remind myself this constantly. 

So maybe in your life you have something that you feel is something you cannot overcome, or something you feel not strong enough to do in your life. Well you are not alone, I'm sure we all have been there at one point or another but remember this- "You were give this life because you are strong enough to live it." 

I hope this encourages someone today because this little phrase really turned my day around and my attitude. :) Until next time!! :)

- Stephanie A.

Ready for 2015..

Almost every year one of my resolutions or goals is to start a blog. I've always thought it would be fun and also a good way for me to remember some of the ups and downs of life . Especially with my little kids, I want to remember some of the fun little moments, or cute little phrases or silly things they said. I also want to be able to look back and see growth in my life, I want to always strive to be better than I was before, to constantly be changing so I can be the best me. This means mentally, physically, spiritually and intellectually.  SO  this year, I said stop making excuses and DO those things you want to do, become that better person!  This blog is one of my goals for this year, to document my journey of life with no excuses. I have many other goals for this year which I plan on sharing on later posts. Each of my goals for this year has a specific reason in my life and why I am choosing to do it and what I hope to accomplish by completeing that goal. For all of you who do have resolutions or goals for this year I hope we can inspire and motivate each other to accomplish them whether small or big! Let's stop with excuses and start telling ourselves reasons why we CAN instead of reasons why we CAN'T. :)

- Steph