Malted Peanut Butter Balls...light bulb moment!

After my photo shoot on Friday I had to go to Whole Foods to pick up some things. As I was wheeling my cart past the bulk section these peanut butter malted milk balls caught my eye! Well, my friends, I was on a strict diet for many weeks so these balls looked might tasty! SO....I decided to get a few. And I proceeded to eat them on the way home. Now this may seem very normal to some. But as I was eating them I had a lightbulb moment.....

As some of you may know, I have suffered from eating disorders since I was in my 20's. What I realized in that moment of peanut butter goodness was that I have changed. Now, of course, I still have issues that need working on, but for the most part I am a changed gal!!! The old me would have eaten those milk balls and felt so guilty for doing so that I would have come home and exercised for hours on end and probably starved myself for the day and maybe the day or two after. Or, it could have gone the opposite way and I would have felt like such a failure that I binged for days on end. Friday I ate them, enjoyed them and moved on. I considered them part of the cheat meal I was to have later and only felt slightly guilty about it. Of course, part of the old me still exists. I got home and thought...I should go for a walk.....And I probably would have had other responsibilities not been calling my name. So yes...still stuff to work on. But overall I am pretty thrilled with the new me!!!

So why have I changed? I'm not completely sure but I think becoming more comfortable in who I am has helped. And I really do owe this to Beachbody and the structure of their programs. I am definitely a work in progress, as are we all, but I just wanted to share with everyone what I experienced while eating those fabulous malted peanut butter balls! And they were truly fabulous.....

I am woman...hear me ROAR!!!

I am have been wondering all week what I was going to blog about, thus the not blogging! It finally came to me today as I was driving home. I was reflecting back on the last two months which have been ridden with illness in the Conley fur children household. And I also thought about the preparation for the photo shoot last week. Now, I rarely pat myself on the back but I think I deserve a great big WOOHOO for sticking with my training program and dieting regimen while playing nurse, taxi, homemaker, cook, maid, bookkeeper etc..... Oh, and I did not mention various other factors that were playing out behind the scenes. A refinance, coaching stuff, etc.... Some would have just thrown in the towel when they were working on no carbs and cleaning up cat vomit. But me? NO...I had a goal and gosh darnit I was sticking to it. I do wonder if I would have done any better at the shoot if those factors had not played a role, but to overthink things would be pointless.

So what did I learn from this experience? Well.....I learned that I am one strong chick! If I can do what I did and get through it, then I can do anything I set my mind to! I think I knew this before, but it was just reaffirmed and put in the forefront of my mind. It also made me reflect on what I really want to do with this body. I train hard. I work hard. And I would like to do something with that. Of course, I do it for me, but I am only going to live once and I want to make the best of all my hard work. I have been going back and forth about whether I wanted to compete again or model or both. I think for now I would like to focus on the modeling and maybe compete in June. So now I have a goal and it feels great to be working toward something. Nothing may come of it, but atleast I can say I gave it my best. And as we all know, Heather's best comes with alot of other responsibilities, cleaning up cat vomit being one of them!!!

Gratitude...Word of the Day!

It hit me this morning while I was in the middle of HIIT 20....3 years ago when I purchased Power 90 to gain some strength back after a surgery I never dreamed I would be where I am today!! I am so grateful for everything I have achieved through Beachbody!

I am making peace with my body and inspiring others to do the same. I am helping others achieve their best health and fitness. There is no greater gift to me than the glowing happiness of someone who has just achieved a goal they have been working so hard towards and knowing I helped support that person. That always makes my day!!

Financial freedom! WOW is the only word I can use to describe it!! Achieving it for myself and helping others do the same is truly a blessing!! Financial freedom means different things to different people. To me financial freedom means not having to worry. I have worried for far too long about finances and money and making it...all of that worry wreaking havoc on my health, mentally and physically. Financial freedom to me also means the stress melting off of my husbands face as he begins to realize the burden is not all on him!! That, to me, is priceless!!!

And lastly, my physical transformation...which goes along with making peace with my body. I won't lie, it has been a rough road that I still struggle with mentally. But Beachbody has given me the tools to deal with that! For the first time I am ok with ME. That is so liberating!! But another component that I often forget about it is the strength that I have gained through the programs. I purchased Power 90 coming out of a surgery that left me weaker than I'd ever been, partially disabled and in chronic pain. My only hope at that point was to gain back SOME strength. Well....the other day I was lifting 40 pound bags of wood pellets!!! 3 years ago I couldn't even lift my own laundry!!! SO THERE!!! And you know what? I still deal with the pain but I know that the strength that I have gained will get me through it. I feel best when I'm working out...that is pain free time for me, and again, something else that is priceless to me!!!

The journey for me has only just begun and I can't wait to see what it has in store for me!!!

Pity Parties...Not Allowed!

I like to think I'm a pretty strong person...but today I lost it a bit. This rain we've been having has not been kind to my back and recently injured shoulder. My idea of recent is a few months ago! And in case you might ask I did complete my workout today, well... because unless I am bedridden I will not miss it. My back actually feels better after exercise...the shoulder not so much!

So I had a bit of a meltdown and pity party for myself. Then I decided to go meditate. Post meditation....Ok I felt a bit better and had a chance to reflect on things...

This is what I came up with.....Despite my struggles, there are others out there that are in more pain than me. Despite my pain, I am able to do most of the activities I love. And despite my pain I have a pretty great life and I'm motivated to make it even greater!

I won't lie...there are going to be not so great days. But on those days, prior to having a meltdown, I am going to try to remember all that I reflected on today.

Pity Parties...Not Allowed!!!

Recovery Week...It Does a Body Good!

Can you tell I have to remind myself of this??? And thus, the reason for my blog this evening!

This morning I woke up early because I knew the tile guys were coming to caulk the shower. I wanted to get my workout in first thing. Now I knew that on the schedule was Core 20 and Stretch 10, a recovery week for Turbo Fire. I had planned on doing some Bum Bum too, because well...I have a hard time with recovery weeks even though I know they are good for me!!! But I reminded myself why we have recovery weeks and I crawled back in bed with Maggy, figuring I could fit in my 30 minutes after the tile guys left. AH, it felt so good to go back to bed and REST!!!

The tile guys came and went and I headed upstairs. But I couldn't quite my mind that kept saying...."I think your thighs were touching this morning"! So after Core 20, yes I admit it, I threw in Bum Bum Live! Well...um...I didn't do the full Bum Bum so that's ok right???

The answer is a resounding NO!!! I give this advice to my customers all the time....your body needs the recovery week! It allows your body to rest and it allows your muscles to recover and grow. And perhaps most important of all, it prevents injury! Our bodies need this, especially after going hard core for 3-4 weeks. Now recovery week doesn't mean we sit around on the couch eating donuts! It is active recovery, but recovery nonetheless, and there for a reason.

I am not sure why I have a hard time following my own advice. Probably for the same reason people ask me..."do I have to take the recovery week?" For me, I think it is hard to get over the feeling that I didn't do enough, that I didn't burn enough calories, and oh my goodness...am I going to get fat!!! Oh yes, I still have that mentality hidden in the back of my head, although I do have to admit it has gotten much better! I am, after all, human. Yes, there was a time when I probably wouldn't have eaten this week, knowing I wasn't getting the amount of exercise I usually get. But I am learning to love my body and what it can do for me, flaws and all. But it is a process, one that I continue to work on.

It is Wednesday. I vow to follow the recovery week schedule as written for the remainder of the week because recovery does a body AND MIND good!!!

Rockin' the White Sports Bra

Honestly, I don't need another sports bra! I can barely close my drawers as it is, but I found myself on the Victorias Secret site today and I saw one that caught my eye. Now, I am one that doesn't like a lot of coverage in my sports bras, even when working out in the privacy of my own home, although I do like some support. I don't know...call me wierd! SO...I ended up buying one in black and one in white.

Now I have not spoken to my photographer in a few months, mainly because we've both been busy. But we do need to do another shoot because the last one, although turning out awesome, left me with green hair! Another story for another day, sad but true!!! What a bummer! But I vowed to make the next shoot KILLER!

WELL, who should email me today out of the blue, but Joe!!! The very same day I bought my fabulous new white sports bra!!! Some day in September....SURE! Time to rock the white sports bra!!!!!

Now do I feel photo shoot ready, heck no!!! So, it is time to really tweak what I've been doing. I know it doesn't need much tweaking, but tweaking nonetheless. And one may ask WHY? Well yes, I would sure like to see myself in a fitness magazine. But if that doesn't happen, well then I can say I did it and I have the awesome pictures to prove it!!! So I guess it is more of a goal for me to look super fantastic and know I did my best to get there!!!

Come September I will be rockin' that little white sports bra!!!

Grumpiness...PFFFTTT!!!

So today I was grumpy. I didn't start the day grumpy. But a few things happened that made me grumpy...a detour on the way to a clients house totally threw me off and made me late, got lost going to the vegetable stand (thank goodness for GPS or I'd still be riding around!) and then I got home and something wouldn't print for me. ARGH! So I proceeded to take it out on those around me and then stopped.....TIME TO MEDITATE!!! I went upstairs, turned on the music and meditated. Much better!!!!! I can focus now and realize that all of those things...they don't matter. What do I have to be grumpy about, really???

I came out of the meditation session feeling so much better and knowing that I am truly blessed! I have a Beachbody business that is changing my life, a petsitting business that I love, my family, a wonderful husband, my fur children (and Bud) and the opportunity to change lives every day! Yes, things may not go my way every day and there may be days when I have more pain than others but you know what.....on those days I choose to go upstairs, turn on the music and remember why I shouldn't be grumpy!!!

The animal crackers talk to me....

And this is why I have one cheat meal a week!!!!

The weekly cheat meal, for me, helps to keep me on track. You see, these darn animal crackers have been talking to me from their cabinet in the kitchen...."eat me, eat me, come on a few won't hurt, who will know...." I have abstained, by avoiding that particular cabinet, by remembering the results I have achieved and by remembering the example I set for others even though they may not be peering into my kitchen window. But mainly because I know that Friday is a couple days away and I can have those animal crackers THEN. Will I be thrilled come Friday?! OH YES!!! Will I feel icky when I'm done eating them? Probably. But that feeling of ickiness gets me through another week because it reminds me of all the reasons that I do eat clean. The main reason being that it makes me feel good!!!

I don't believe in deprivation. You only live once. However, I do believe in moderation. And I think if you eat clean 6 days a week, then there is nothing wrong with one cheat meal on that seventh day.

I guess it would be just as easy to throw the darn bag of animal crackers away so their little voices wouldn't taunt me, but then I wouldn't have anything to blog about would I?

Friday...two days away!!! :)

Meditate...It's good for you!!

Well here I am...getting ready to blog and not sure what to write about! Hmmm....let's talk about my new goal...to meditate for atleast 10 minutes a day.

So far I have made my goal three days in a row! I truly think that is an important component of our health and fitness programs that alot of us, including myself, skip. Breathing deep is so important for us...our bodies need oxygen and when we're running around all day long most of us are taking shallow breaths. Not good for our bodies.

How did this new goal come about you ask? I've been having a recurrence of my back pain lately and I think the humidity has a lot to do with it. However, I started thinking about what I could do to be proactive and help my body. How about BREATHING! Lack of oxygen is not good for the body, maybe my body needs more oxygen. So on that day I made my new goal. I've also been continuing my acupuncture and that gives me a good hour of ME time and using my foam roller.

So I guess my point is....take some time today for you to BREATHE!!! Your body will thank you!!!

No go meditate...It's good for you!!!

Balance...

Blogging has been on my "to do" list for weeks now! So why haven't I done it? Well, for one I haven't really figured out this whole blogging site yet and I think it takes me out of my comfort zone! I hate not knowing what the heck I'm doing. But if I have learned one thing...you need to get out of your comfort zone in order to grow. And I've been trying to find some sort of balance in my life where I can separate business and pleasure. That, my friends, is extremely hard for me to do.
Things have been extremely busy for me, which is a great thing! I am extremely blessed!!! I have also suffered from some health problems which have "shortened my days" because I've been sleeping in more. Less hours in the day=less time to get things done. Because, one thing that has not suffered have been my workouts. Those get done first thing!!! I am dedicated to my workouts and clean eating. I am, after all, a product of the product!!! :)
SO...in my quest to find balance I will make blogging a priority! Snazzing up the site will also be in the works, but please be patient, the actual blogging will come before the snazzing!! :)

Be well and make it a productive day!!!

Photo Shoot - The Day After

I know it has been a while since my last blog. I have been extremely busy with my pet sitting and coaching business as well as with getting ready for my photo shoot. Not making excuses, such is life I guess. I was a bit cranky for the last couple days before the photo shoot so I didn't have much to say anyway, besides that I wanted a potato!!!
I will be perfectly honest...I was less than thrilled with the results of my first shoot. We did have some lighting issues and issues with the lack of self tanner on my hands and face...OOPS! But I was not happy with the way that I looked in most of the shots. I did the work, and I ate clean but I truly only cracked down those last two weeks before the shoot. I was disappointed in my progress and was beginning to wonder if all my hard work was paying off. Two weeks prior to the first shoot I started eating strictly from the top two tiers of Michi's Ladder, but two weeks was not long enough to see significant change. I also began adding in extra cardio, again not alot of progress in two weeks.
Even though I was frustrated and disappointed after that first shoot, I didn't give up. Ya, I could have gone into a full blown chocolate binge, but I didn't. I started a Clean Eating Challenge on my thread, eating only from the top two tier's of Michi's with one Cheat Meal a week. I have to thank all my ladies on the thread for keeping me accountable! Over the course of this past month I have seen a HUGE change in my body! I credit it to the hard work but mostly to the super clean eating. It has made ALL the difference! SO...I went to this photo shoot feeling pretty good about the way I looked. Of course there was some doubt..certain people can attest to this and you know who you are! :)
I have seen some of the pics today and I have to say I am pleased. Yes, of course there is some self-criticism because let's face it, that isn't going to go away over night. But I think for the first time in a LONG time I am at peace in this body of mine. I know I still have a long way to go in regards to loving what God has given me, but I am working on it. I have truly come a long way. I think the mental transformation for me is just as important as the physical transformation.
So I look forward to seeing some more pictures and when I have my profile all set up I will post the link here. Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this profile. Your support means the world to me!!!

No Excuses!

I am such a blogging slacker, I'm not sure how to get out of this blogging funk I'm in! Maybe it is because I have millions of things on my plate daily, but that really is no excuse is it?? NO EXCUSES! I heard that on the National Coach Call the other night and it really resonated with me. I am so excited about the direction my coaching business and my personal fitness are heading! I have really plugged into the super clean eating and it is making ALL of the difference! I feel so empowered!
I have another photo shoot scheduled for April 2nd and I'm even more excited for this one because I am so much better than the last time! I took some progress photos the other day (if I can figure out how to get them on this here blog I will post them) and I was so excited to see the changes! Sometimes you just don't notice until you see them for yourself! I am noticing some cool ab muscle near my hip area and that excites me beyond belief!
I am also so very proud of those that are doing the Clean Eating Challenge and getting it done. There truly have been No Excuses there, no whining, no I can't's, they are just doing it and that my friends is fantastic! And it makes my day when they notice that what they are doing is WORKING! Clean eating is really the biggest part of all of this and I really wish everyone would get that. It really frustrates me when someone comes to me and says, "I'm working out 5-6 days a week but I'm not seeing the results. Oh, and I had animal crackers for a snack yesterday." I just want to bop this person on the forehead! But I keep my self control because I am here to help people and teach them, so I gently explain they NEED to clean up their nutrition act. It is work...that is one thing I have learned. I did not get my abs by eating animal crackers. I got them by eating super clean (with the occasional cheat meal of course) and working out 6 days a week. There are no shortcuts, NO EXCUSES!!!

I am a blogging slacker!!!! Hard to keep up with everything going on! I know, no excuses! Enjoying my hybrid, wondering what to do next. I have 2+ months to decide! The Clean Eating Challenge on my Insanity thread is going awesome! I am so happy everyone is enjoying it and getting great results! I know I feel better and I really feel when I don't eat clean! Actually, I think it is 100% worse!! I had some malted Easter candy on Friday and I thought I was going to die Friday night!!!! Not cool!!! I also started a Dr. Natura colon cleanse. I am going to do it for a month as I've done it before. It is a very gentle cleanse but I think it is making me bloated this week! Ugh! Not sure if the 3/25 photo shoot is still on. My photographer is extremely busy and I'm not taking pictures all bloated!! We will get it done, no worries! Ok I'm off to walk the doggies in the rain. Sorry, I'm a blogging slacker!

Day 5 of the Clean Eating Challenge

Day 5 of the Clean Eating Challenge and everyone is doing awesome! It is amazing how eating from the top two tiers of Michi's Ladder can change your body in such a short period of time! And I feel SO much better! Today my jeans were falling off of me so I decided to try on another pair that were tight a couple weeks ago. Well tonite they fit and were even a bit loose! How great is that! Tonite I am having my cheat meal but once again it is reminding me why I eat clean! Back to super clean eating and Insanity tomorrow!

Hey there! I just realized I had not blogged in a while! Bad me!!! I am enjoying my Insanity/Chalean Extreme/Yoga hybrid with some elliptical workouts thrown in. I am getting ready for another photo shoot on 3/25. :) Thinking about getting a spray tan this time around. The super clean eating is producing fabulous changes to my body! So excited to see what the end of the month will bring. The Clean Eating Challenge is going wonderfully! Everyone is so excited and doing awesome! It is so great to see such excitement and dedication! :) Feel free to check out my thread if you'd like to join in. It's never too late!! http://http://teambeachbody.com/connect/message-boards/-/message_boards/message/39777115.

Clean Eating

It is amazing how great you feel when you eat super clean. I was at the grocery store today and I think I've become label obsessive! I am amazed at how much I missed before! I always thought I was a good label reader but apparantly I did miss some things. I had my carrot cake last night because I had planned on hubby getting me a piece for a few weeks now! :) I did enjoy it but was looking forward to getting back to the clean eating today! I am seeing such great changes in my body. I can't wait until my next photo shoot. I told the photographer I'll be leaner than last time!!!
The clean eating challenge starts March 1st on my thread if anyone is interested in joining! Check it out.

Evening everyone! Started my new hybrid today. I am doing a hybrid of Insanity, Yoga and Chalean Extreme. I have another photo shoot coming up in about a month so I'd like to get leaner than I was for the last one. Felt good to get back into it today. Eating was super clean today. Going to have a protein shake before bed.
The Clean Eating Challenge starts March 1st for anyone who wants to join! Check it out on my thread...http://http://teambeachbody.com/connect/message-boards/-/message_boards/message/39777115.

Clean Eating Challenge

Evening All! I am pretty excited about starting my new hybrid on Monday! I am also excited about our Clean Eating Challenge beginning on March 1st. If anyone would like to join in visit my thread under Insanity. Of course I have to figure out a way to get the link on here! ha ha This is definitely a learning experience!!!

Hey everyone! I thought I'd start this blog to share with everyone my fitness and eating clean journey. I do realize I am already strapped for time, but hey, what is one more thing!! Bear with me as I get to know this whole blogging thing. I may not be able to blog everyday as I'm extremely busy with both my pet sitting business and my BB business but I will try to keep this as updated as possible. Maybe I'll even learn a bit about You Tube...I have NO clue!!! Ok I'm off now to take a shower and go take care of a cat client.