Oooooh! It's that time again! Candy as far as the eye can see! Here's my top 3 tips for a fun and fit Halloween!
1. Eat! Make sure you have a balanced meal plan all the way through dinner, plenty of protein to keep you full. This way, you'll not crave a ton of candy because you're already satisfied, or just full so you can only pack in a few!
2. Bring a water bottle trick or treating! Water also keeps your tummy full, but we want full hands too. So, water in on hand, kiddo in the other, no hands for candy!
3. Plan ahead for how much candy you're going to have! I'm not saying have no candy, sheesh, have you met me? If you haven't, I have the biggest sweet tooth ever! But here's my strategy, I'll tell myself how much candy is allowable for me. And then I have a plan I can stick to. I'm not going to just eat right out of the candy bucket, I'm going to set a few pieces aside and that's my candy for the evening.
Bust out this workout before you head out this evening!
CORE DE FORCE is an explosive mixed martial arts-inspired total body workout designed by Beachbody Super Trainers Joel Freeman and Jericho McMatthews to blast fat and carve your waist in just 30 days - with no equipment.
Who will love the program?
Anyone who wants to tighten up their midsection, carve a stronger core, and sculpt total-body definition. Core De Force is great for weight loss and any fitness level!
It's also a great choice for people looking to try a workout inspired by mixed martial arts. Trainers Joel Freeman and Jericho McMatthews packed CORE DE FORCE with Boxing, Kickboxing, and Muay Thai moves that are both effective AND empowering. Those who want to see results fast will also love the program. The high-energy mix of combinations, bodyweight training, and cardio is designed to get you into knockout shape in 30 days.
The Workouts
MMA Speed Upper body and core-focused, this Boxing-influenced workout is short-but packs a serious punch.
MMA Shred Kick things up a notch with Muay-Thai-inspired elbows and kicks for a head-to-toe shred that'll lean you out fast.
MMA Power Using explosive and defensive-style movements, this fast-paced cardio conditioning workout will help you carve a tight lean body.
MMA Plyo What happens when you combine Boxing, Muay Thai and plyometrics into one workout? You get a total-body shred designed to knockout hundreds of calories and spike your fat burn into overdrive.
Power Sculpt A total-body burner that uses explosive power and interval training to help sculpt lean muscle and build next-level endurance.
Dynamic Strength Low on impact, but high on intensity, this no-equipment, bodyweight throwdown helps carve impressive definition.
Active Recovery Recharge for the week ahead with this rest day workout that focuses on form and technique to fight muscle stiffness and soreness.
CORE DE FORCE Relief The quickest stretch ever. Do this 5-minute session before bed to help relieve tight and tired muscles - and keep you at the top of your game.
Core Kinetics Strengthen your powerhouse with unique MMA-inspired moves that help carve flat abs and tight obliques.
5 Min Core On the Floor The ultimate core finisher-5 challenging plank movements to help burn the belly and define, flatten, and tone the tummy.
How much will Core De Force Cost?
The price of the program will vary. What I suggest is purchasing the challenge pack as that is the absolute best value! You will receive the program for a fraction when you purchase it as a challenge pack! The challenge pack will cost $140, and that's a special intro offer. It will include a 30 day supply of Shakeology, the full Core De Force program, as well as a meal guide to follow! You can also purchase a challenge pack as a DIGITAL option with no DVD's required! Email me anytime to discuss! Jalenecabralesfitness@gmail.com
What are the Portion Control Eating Plan details? The Portion Control Eating Plan is not a recipe-based plan like other Beachbody nutrition plans. Here’s how it works: Start by calculating a calorie level based on starting weight. Next, find the calorie chart that corresponds with the calorie level. This will indicate the daily allotment of color-coded containers. From there, the Eating Plan shows a list of foods that can be eaten with each color-coded container. Then, just fill the containers with the foods from the list, up to the daily allotment of the containers. No required recipes. No required number of meals. No required foods or ingredients. If it fits in the container, it can be eaten!
Are you doing anything special to celebrate the launch?
Heck yea I am! I'll be hosting an EXCLUSIVE challenge group, open to a very limited few! You'll have access to the program and my private accountability group to guarantee your success, and coaching from me! This group will be be starting November 14th, and of course we'll break for Thanksgiving!
Before/Afters- Just a few of many!
Walk around with a smile on your face, you may just be a ray of sunshine for someone. And if nothing else, your smile will cheer YOU up!
My gratitude journal group concludes today and our focus of study was how to train yourself to be more grateful by a shift in mindset. I think my biggest "take away" from this mini gratitude study is that LIFE IS ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR MINDSET. So we can be mad, or we can be happy, and the CHOICE is ours. And it IS a choice. Your choice. Because guess what, no one has a perfect life. You take your circumstances and you roll with it. You don't let those circumstances rule your happiness. YOU rule your happiness. And happiness comes from realizing the things you have going for you and being grateful for them. Happiness does not come from focusing on the have-nots or the rotten circumstance you might be enduring chronically or just in this day.
I encouraged my group to write in the gratitude journal at minimum a few times a week so as to make the "attitude of gratitude" a permanent mindset. It's not natural, it's going to take daily work, like showering! For best results, shower often!!
In regards to business you might hear "why her and not me?" or how about "well, she must have cheated her way to the top." In regards to fitness "oh, you must have edited that photo" or "it's just the camera angle" or "must be nice." People either don't realize the amount of HARD WORK that goes into success, or they just want to discount anything someone else does, no credit is given where credit is due!
I feel like there's always so much comparison "out there" in the world, and especially on social media. It seems that some can't be happy for others who are succeeding. And I've always said, Comparison is the Thief of Joy! Try to resist comparing your journey through life to someone else's, we just never know what they've got going on in the life that you don't see on social media.
When you find the right TRIBE (your people) you'll find that some people don't want to compete with you at life! This tribe of people have a love for others, so much so that they love to see other people succeeding, winning at life! Those are the people you need to surround yourself with! Your cheerleading squad, the ones that will always lift you up and be happy in your success. And push you in a GOOD way to be the best person you can be. Sometimes guys, we gotta let the negative go and just pour ourselves into those people who want us to be happy and healthy! Life is too short to compete with others, be genuinely happy when you see success in someone else! And always try to be your personal best, which isn't going to to be the same as anyone else's, cause you are so uniquely YOU, and you rock!!!
In large bowl, whisk together pumpkin and sugars. Beat in eggs, coconut oil and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk in the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda and salt until well combined.
Fill muffin tins 3/4 full.
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in coconut sugar, stevia, egg yolk, maple syrup and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
In your muffin batter, top each muffin with about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture and use a toothpick to swirl it into the batter.
Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
You'll love these for dessert or for breakfast with a your pumpkin spice coffee!
Let's be real for a second here. Cheat meals are great and can actually help you to stay on track with your healthy lifestyle. But, if there's too many, those cheat meals add up in a big way. We have to be honest with ourselves about how many cheat meals we have... and when the cheat meals become more common than the healthy meals, uh oh, that's not the way it's supposed to work!
If you're feeling like this just happened, and you pulled out those jeans with a not so fun surprise, let's get cracking on a nutrition plan that WORKS for your lifestyle! Nothing restrictive, I want you to be able to stick with it and love it!
I'm here to help with what work has worked for me for 3 years. And I would love to spend some virtual time with you Halloween through Thanksgiving in my FIT AND THANKFUL group. In a month where people traditionally pack on pounds, let's shed some, while still enjoying life! Cause food is my buddy, I love it too much to make it boring.
Hey guys! I've got some easy meal planning/prepping hacks here for time effective meal prepping! And a recipe to get your breakfast for the week prepped and cooked while you get your beauty sleep!
Crock Pot Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
1 Cup Steel Cut or Coach's Oats
1 Cup Pumpkin Puree (organic tastes better!)
3 cups water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
*Sweeten and add toppings once cooked.
Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours. See Video for more details!
Eeeek! This is exciting! My Mentor, Kim, and myself will be hosting a LIVE LIVE LIVE Sneak Peek into coaching this Wednesday on Facebook. You can log in and see us LIVE on video and also be able to ask questions in real time. The videos are saved and you can then access them at any time, and still comment with your question even after the event has concluded.
In The BelieveFit Empire, we are a team of women, moms, sisters who strive to build one another up, encourage & serve others, and build a legacy for our families. Together, we set goals, commit to the process, persevere, and change lives!
Wonder what it means to be a Beachbody Coach? This is where we will share a "sneak peek" behind the curtain. You'll get insight into how a coach earns income, what a day in the life of a coach looks like, and we will even share what our concerns were coming into this business (i.e. No, you don't need to be a salesperson to be successful!)
Check back this Wednesday evening, for a LIVE one hour glimpse to learn about an opportunity that can change your fitness, your finances and your life. The event will take place right on this page, and we are opening spots for 5 go-getters to personally mentor as new coaches on our team!
I often got annoyed when people would say "choose joy." Like, what the heck do you even mean you optimistic weirdo?!?
Then, I lost some joy, and I started studying how to get it back! I learned something...
Choosing joy can happen in two ways... It happens proactively and reactively. Making choices for the day, at the start of the day, to count my blessings and focus on the eternal is proactive. Reactive joy choosing happens once I’ve ended up in that place of stress, frustration and anger. It's all in how I choose to react to it. And I know, sometimes it's hard to choose, sometimes we just react with a snap! It happens. But more often than not, we can try to control the reaction and choose to be joyful rather than let the circumstance get the best of us.
Just this morning, at 4:30, I had a "why me?" moment. My daughter is sick, my son is needy, I am awake taking care of both of them when I really just want to be asleep. I had to just snap out of it! Choose joy!! Choose to remember why I'm up at 4:30, cause I have two amazing small children who need me. Boom. Lucky lady.
Joy comes from God. From knowing how blessed we are. From knowing that "He's got this!"
Lemme share a passage I read... Check out Acts 16:16-40, I'll set it up for you...Paul and Silas are in prison... tortured, without trial. Verse 25, Paul and Silas are singing hymns to God. Like, what do they have to sing about?!?!
This is their reaction to their circumstance?!?!
What can we learn from them?
I think we can learn HOPE and that's intertwined with Joy. Paul and Silas know who won! God wins, every time. You already know the ending to your story.
The struggles of this life CANNOT affect our joy. It's a choice. You can let the struggle define you, you can give in to a freak out moment, you can choose to REACT to your circumstance, or you can CHOOSE JOY. The joy is based on the spiritual reality of who God is and what He has promised. God is good, regardless of your situation.
James 1: 2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Romans 8:28 God works all things together for good for those who love the Lord, for those who are called according to His purpose.
We have to get rid of limiting beliefs, and practice positive self talk! Mind over matter.
Truthfully, I don't enjoy working out. It's not my thing. Why do I do it?
1. I know I need to do it to be healthy and happy!
2. The endorphins are real and they help me in many ways.
3. And I get motivated by doing something I didn't think I was capable of!
You CAN do this. It might not be your cup of tea to sweat and grunt and work yourself, but just do it. Your body, mind, and soul will thank you! And you'll NEVER regret a workout, but you'll ALWAYS regret not doing a workout. Especially as we age...
What can we do to be a better mom? Sheesh, probably a million things right? That's what you're thinking. That's what I would be thinking. I want to challenge you today to think about your priorities. And pick FIVE. Only five. These are your 5 priorities for this week. You get these 5 done before you do anything else. And actually, you probably won't get to anything else, and that's okay. Before you start thinking of your 5, let me elaborate... read on...
Moms, we are overstretched!!! We commit to 9 million things and we don't have the time for 9 million things! And most those things, we put before our kids... I'm guilty. I have a hard time saying "no." to other people and to myself, but it's easy to say "no" to my kids.
Check out this excerpt from the eBook "Mom Enough."
"Years ago, before this generation of mothers was even born, our society decided where children rank in the list of important things. When abortion was legalized, we wrote it into law. Children rank way below college. Below world travel. Below nightlife. Below physical tness. Below a career. In fact, children rate below your desire to sit around and pick your toes, if that is what you want to do. Below everything. Children are the last thing you should ever spend your time doing...Motherhood is not a hobby, it’s a calling. You do not collect children because you nd them cuter than stamps. You do not raise children if you can squeeze the time in. Motherhood is what God gave you time for."
OUCH!!!! What have you put before your kids?
Read on...
"Christian mothers carry their children in hostile territory. When you are in public with them, you are standing with, and defending, the objects of cultural dislike. You are publicly testifying that you value what God values, and that you refuse to value what the world values. You stand with the defenseless and in front of the needy. You represent everything that our culture hates, because you represent laying down your life for another—and laying down your life for another represents the gospel.
Our culture is afraid of death. Laying down your own life, in any way, is terrifying. Strangely, it is that fear that drives the abortion industry: fear that your dreams will die, that your future will die, and that your freedom will die. Abortion tries to escape that death by running into the arms of death.
But Christians should have a different paradigm. We should run to the cross. To death. So lay down your hopes. Lay down your future. Lay down your petty annoyances. Lay down your desire to be recognized. Lay down your fussiness at your children. Lay down your perfectly clean house. Lay down your grievances about the life you are living. Lay down the imaginary life you could have by yourself. Lay them all down.
Death to yourself is not the end of the story. We, of all people, ought to know what follows death. The Christian life is a resurrection life, a life that cannot be contained by death, a life only possible when you have been to the cross and back.
The Bible is clear about the value of children. Jesus loves them, and we are commanded to love them, to bring them up in the nurture of the Lord.
We are to imitate God and take pleasure in our children.
The Question Is How
The question here is not if you are representing the gospel, but how you are representing it. Do you give your life to your children resentfully? Do you tally everything you do for them like a loan shark tallies debts? Or do you give them life the way God gives it to us—freely?
It isn’t enough to pretend, though you might fool a few people. That person in line at the store might believe you when you plaster on a fake smile, but your children won’t. They know exactly where they stand with you. They know the things that you rate above them. They know everything you resent and hold against them. They know that you faked a cheerful answer to that lady, only to whisper threats or bark at them in the car. Children know the difference between a mother who is saving her face to a stranger and a mother who is defending her children’s lives with her smile, her love, and her absolute loyalty.
Live the gospel in the things that no one sees. Sacrifice for your children in places that only they will know. Put their value ahead of yours. Grow them up in the clean air of gospel living. Your testimony to the gospel in the little details of your life is more valuable to them than you can imagine. If you tell them the gospel, but live to yourself, they will never believe it. Give your life for theirs every day, joyfully. Lay down pettiness. Lay down fussiness. Lay down resentment about the dishes, about the laundry, about how no one knows how hard you work.
Stop clinging to yourself and cling to the cross. There is more joy and more life and more laughter on the other side of death than you can possibly carry alone." Again, this is an excerpt from the book Mom Enough, and you can find the entire article here
Do you see what I mean about priorities now? Your priorities are probably going to be more focused on PEOPLE, and less focused on TASKS. There are some things we are going to have to let go. Maybe you buy store bought cupcakes instead of spending hours baking them yourself. They are just going to get eaten anyways! How important is it? Now, this is just an example, if baking them yourself is something that makes you a more joyful parent, and your kids love it, by all means. But think about other things that you might need to let go of, or say no to...
So, my 5:
God
Husband
Kids
My business
Family/friends
That's it. What's your 5? How about an exercise to apply this concept to real life... cause we all know we are busier than 5 things...
Think about something with me... the last time you snapped at your child, what were you doing?
The last time you felt completely down as a mother, what were you doing?
The last day when you struggled to be joyful, what was going on?
I'm going to argue that we are just too darn busy. When I snap at my child, I'm distracted. I'm focusing on something else and she is getting in the way. She has "annoyed" me in that moment. Eeek. That's harsh. But yes, I'm reading something, I'm scrolling through Facebook, I'm cooking dinner, I'm tending to my other children, I'm BUSY on something and she's tugging at me. Snap!
And THAT makes me feel completely down as a mother. I've let her down. I've let myself down. I just treated my child as an annoyance. I suck. The voice in my head is fierce! Mama, give yourself a break first off... second, how can we ensure this doesn't happen?
So for me... The last day I struggled to be joyful, I was feeling overwhelmed!! It's hard to be joyful when you're inundated with your to do list!
But if I can put her in my top 5, I mean REALLY put her in my top 5, not just say "yea my kid is my number 1 priority..." be honest with myself and really put her at the top, it helps me to feel more fulfilled as a mother. She's taken care of! So I feel more successful.
Could it be your child asking "are you even happy to be a mom?"
My take away message from it: The truth is, the one thing that I had been forgetting to give my children all this time was a mother who genuinely enjoyed just being a mom.
When you are doing this exercise, think of 3 ways you can show your top 5 that they are a priority. And I know what you're thinking... a clean house, you going to work, you cooking dinner, these are things that you do for your children, husband, family. And yep, you're right. But if you asked your child how she knows mommy loves her, I'll bet she won't say "cause our house is clean!" So when you're choosing the 3 things that you can do to show love to your kids, think of the things that you do that make THEM feel loved, comforted. I know you're taking care of your children by cooking them dinner, but shoot, my kid doesn't even like dinner! She sure as heck wouldn't say that's how she knows her mom loves and prioritizes her. What would she say? Mom plays with me. Mom spends time with me. Mom buys me toys. Those are things that are important to HER. So when I'm thinking of ways to make her feel comforted, I've gotta add at least something to the list that makes HER feel good. My older son, he likes his band program. He enjoys playing music, he enjoys being with his friends. So I have to make sure that I'm getting him to and from where he needs to be! He struggles with homework, I gotta help him out so he isn't feeling so discouraged. His love language, words of affirmation. I gotta make sure I'm praising him for the things he's doing! That's how he feels loved. My husband, acts of service dude. How do I make him feel loved? Home cooked meal, clean house, ask him if he needs help with school, his lunch, do his laundry, etc. and being intimate. That's important to my guy. So when I'm making my bucket list of priorities for my husband, I've gotta make sure I'm speaking his language. Not doing things that I think he needs, doing things that HE thinks he needs. If you don't know anything about the 5 Love Languages, check it out!! You can figure out your husband's (fiancé, sig other) and your children's. Knowing what makes them tick, what makes them feel love, what makes them fulfilled is only going to help you. You don't have to be spinning your wheels trying to figure out how to prioritize them, just know what language they speak.
So, how does this create joy in my home? When my family feels comforted and loved, guess what, it takes those awful days down a notch! It lightens my sassy 5 year old's attitude, it removes conflict with my teen over grades and his schedule, it removes conflict with my husband because he feels like he's a priority to me. And the joyfulness, it follows along... less bad days, more joyful mom.
People like to say that the only two constants in this life are death and taxes. I beg to differ, God is a constant. The things that God has given us, constant. The sun rises every single day, for example, because He said "let there be light." If we think about that for a second, every single day, we count on the sun coming up, there's never a day that it just fails to rise. It's a sure thing! We can take it for granted though, most definitely.
In Hosea 6:3, God says that as SURELY as the sun will rise, He will appear. And he will come to us like rain to the Earth. Whoa. So we can count on Him coming to us when we call, without fail, because it's as sure as the sun will rise! Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to Me and I will answer you..." God will listen to your every prayer. Call upon him, and He'll be there as surely as the sun rises. And what will He provide? Rain. Spring rain. The kind that completely rejuvenates and refreshes the air, the soil, all living things. It cleans, brightens, and restores.
If you're feeling completely despaired, call on Him. He'll refresh your soul like rain refreshes the Earth. It's a constant. It's a sure thing. God does not ever withhold himself.
If you haven't yet, take a minute to read this blog entry. http://foreverymom.com/mom-gold/exhausted-overwhelmed-depressed-mom/
I just think it's so awesome. And if we dig deeper into Elijah's story (1 Kings 17-19) we learn that Elijah called upon God. But not to refresh him, he asked to die. Elijah was so tired, scared, he was an old guy, on the run from Jezebel, the last of the Lord's prophets, she had all the others killed. He was just done. God came to him, but he didn't give him what he asked. You see, God has his own plan for us. He knows what you truly need. For Elijah, it wasn't death, it was sleep, food, a friend, and moment to refocus, to remember how special he was. God came to him in a still small voice, and Elijah could hear it. Elijah (with Elisha) went on! He came from wanting to DIE, to feeling rejuvenated and moving forward.
How can we apply this to our Momlife? Is there a time you can remember when you felt totally NOT cut out for this position of mommy? Take a second to answer in the thread below. For me, numerous times. I think often, moms feel like failures. We have such high expectations when that baby is kicking inside us, but then, it's hard! Your infant doesn't sleep, maybe has colic, fussy baby, there are joyful moments, and there are tough moments. And that trend continues for-ev-er. And in those tough moments, we feel like failures. We want what's best for our babies, and we don't think we're it! These moments of complete feeling of failure happen to EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US GOOD MAMAS! We feel like a failure BECAUSE we want all good things for our kids. By very definition, that's a good mom.
HOW TO CHOOSE JOY: Next time we are feeling this way? What can we do? I challenge you to STOP, DROP, and PRAY. Call out to Him. He's the everlasting spring that can quench your thirst. He will clean, brighten, and restore you like spring rain, He will not withhold Himself, His ability, to the child that calls upon him.
CALL TO ACTION: Today/tonight, I challenge you to call on Him. You can say ANY prayer, He will listen. If it's been a while since you prayed, don't hold back. Say something to Him.
Moms, if you're dying to stay home with your kids, please believe in yourself! You CAN start your own business, you can make it great! You can change your circumstances.
Don't just start any business. Start a business where you can help others, fuel your own health and fitness, and feel like you're doing something WORTHWHILE.
We only get one life, don't look back when you're 50 and your kids are grown and realize you missed the best part. Take a chance and do this with me, I'll help you, and you and your children are so worth it.
I just love this
And one thing that I've noticed in talking with other moms, some are just not fulfilled by their 9-5 and want MORE. More time with their kids, more time with the family, more hours in a day! But we can't add hours to the day to fit in work and kids, we've gotta change the work.
Had to share!! Today, my group shared stories of struggle and failure as a huge part of Momlife... the honesty and rawness (is that a word?) of it blessed me. I know I'm not alone! I hope you know you're not alone, every single one of us has rotten days! God handpicked you for those babies of yours, you ARE enough. God doesn't make mistakes and He values children more than anything, so He wouldn't take a gamble on you! You're a sure thing. You're the perfect Mom for your babies
2 cups (or 1 can) of full fat coconut milk. You can also mix any combo of almond milk with the coconut milk or just almond milk. But using full fat coconut milk is going to give you that creaminess that we all want in a coffee creamer.
1/4 cup pumpkin purée
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of cloves
Dash of ginger
(You can sub 2 1/2-3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice for all the spices above)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup (depending on how sweet you want it). This is optional. You can leave it out and sweeten your coffee instead.
Process or blend for a few seconds to mix well. Then transfer to an airtight container and store in the refirdgerator for 3 days.
Wanna be happy? The key to being happy is dreaming big for yourself but also recognizing what you have. A grateful heart finds blessings in the seemingly mundane everyday life. We cannot let what we want overshadow what we have. Do you have a tendency to not look on the bright side? Me too. I'm like Donald Duck "why does this always happen to me?" That's where gratitude comes in. It shifts our attitude and our mindset.
But how? I've been eager to start a gratitude journal and I would like to share the steps with everyone who wants to also create one! Join me in this challenge as we create our journals and learn how being grateful each day can change our outlook on life.
How Gratitude Can Improve Your Life
Is your natural reaction to focus on the negative?
* My life is so difficult
* Why me?
* I wish I had the new… insert item here
* Why do normal tasks seem so stressful, why can't (insert anything) this just be easy?
The focus on the negative draws our attention far from the positive. I'm not an optimist, so this is really hard for me! But the problem is, when we overlook the positive, we can start to take people, moments, things for granted.
The Benefits of Gratitude
1. Increase Happiness – Whoo hoo! Prof. Robert Emmons, one of the top researchers in Positive Psychology says that practicing gratitude can increase your Happiness by 25%. Emmons says, “a few hours writing a gratitude journal over 3 weeks can create an effect that lasts 6 months if not more” – um, WOW. Can we invest ten minutes a day to have that kind of lasting happiness?! Heck yea!
2. Reduce Negative Emotions – yes please.
3. Improve your health. Improves health, wellness, attitude, and energy too!
4. Improves Relationships. Remember how we can take people for granted? You might already be doing this to a spouse, parent, child, friend.
5. Improve Your Outlook for the Future. Having a positive outlook can transcend into working harder toward your goal (or even starting one) because you feel there is a better chance to succeed!!! Gratitude changes our LIMITING BELIEFS of ourselves.
6. Improves Sleep – Hallelujah!
7. Reduces worry!
8. Makes you a better person. A person people WANT to know. Wow.
I know I don't want to miss out on these 8 benefits in my life. Do you???
Join me in a Gratitude Challenge by messaging me on Facebook at FB.com/fromfaith2fitness or send me an email at Jalene.Cabrales@gmail.com. We start October 15.
Hey guys! I usually post only CLEAN foods... but I was having a serious craving for Baked Potato soup! I even went to Panera last Friday, JUST for soup, and guess what, Baked Potato soup is not served on ONE day of the week, and that day is Friday! Ugh! So I decided that it's not going to be totally clean and healthy, BUT it's homemade and not full of chemicals, so that's a win!
8 Yukon gold or russet potatoes
1 Large white onion
5-6 strips of bacon
1 14 ounce can of chicken broth
1 12 ounce can of evaporated milk
1/3 cup of wheat flour
2 Tbs butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup of sour cream or plain greek yogurt
Garnishes of choice!
Wash and peel potatoes and then cut into small chunks.
Peel the onion and cut that into small chunks as well.
Cook the bacon and, you guess it, cut into chunks! Reserve some for the garnish at the end.
Add the potato, onion, and bacon into the crock pot with 1 can of chicken broth and 1/2 cup of water. Set your slow cooker to low and 6 hours. You'll want the potatoes to be soft.
After the time expires, make a roux from the butter, flour and evaporated milk. If you're going for taste rather than health, you can use some of the leftover bacon grease in your roux. To make the roux, use butter and bacon grease, warm it up and add the flour, whisk well. Then gradually add the evaporated milk, stirring occasionally. It's going to take less than 5 minutes before it gets REALLY thick. That's how you want it! Then, use a potato masher to mash up some of the potatoes and add the roux then mix.
Finally, you'll add your cheddar cheese, sour cream or greek yogurt, and then mix it well and serve! Top with any garnishes you like, cheese, bacon crumbles, onion, etc! Enjoy, it's SO GOOD!
Hey moms! This group is super close to my heart because it's something I really struggle with. You see, all my life I wanted to be a stay at home mom. Obviously I did not know the difficulty of it, only the rewards! Now, I can still see the rewards, but the difficulty and struggles creep up on me daily. I have to be reminded to choose joy, which I NEVER thought I would need, I mean, aren't moms just joyful about their "jobs" every moment of every day because we are so uber- blessed?? And we NEVER have weak moments where choosing joy is hard? And we always act as if we have the best job in the entire world?? Not really, we get stuck in the trenches of daily battles and it happens to ALL of us, so there's no need to feel shameful.
WHY SHOULD YOU BELONG TO A CHALLENGE GROUP LIKE THIS?
1. ACCOUNTABILITY! Oh man, this is a biggie. If no one sees what's going on in your Momlife on a daily basis, who is holding you accountable to be joyful? Imagine this, you're at church. You're little darling is acting up. You are SO careful about the way you handle the situation because there are people watching!!! Your kid is LUCKY that you aren't home! You still discipline, of course, but in a more mindful way. You've had that experience and so have I. We act differently at home. Not because we are fake, but because we can give into the struggle when no one sees it. Sometimes we just lose it! So, being in a group like this holds us accountable to be joyful in our homes. We'll check in daily and be reminded to choose joy amidst the chaos. Of course our children will still get "the eye" and discipline, being joyful isn't about not disciplining, it's about loving on our kids the way God intended. And we'll dig into that in the first week!
2. NEW PERSPECTIVE AND IDEAS. You and the other moms in this group are good moms, you've already proved it by seeking to be in the group. No more proof is necessary. We can share ideas with other moms here, because when we are left alone with our ideas for too long, they become stale.
3. SUPPORT. Hallelujah. Being a mom can be an isolating lifestyle, whether you're a stay at home, work at home, or working mom. It's lonely. And sometimes you may feel like no one "gets" you. Just hearing that other people share the same struggles can be really reassuring. This group will have a zero tolerance policy on judgement. You already know judgement is for Jesus, not for us. You aren't here because you'll never again have a struggle or a moment where you completely lose it. You're here because you want to challenge yourself to be more fulfilled as a mommy! Plus, while it's helpful to receive support, it's also a powerful source of happiness to provide support to others.
Also, not everyone has the means to attend a mom's group at a church. My vision for this group is to make it sort of a virtual mom study.
4. FUN! It's fun to belong to a group, meet new people, try something new! It's especially enjoyable when you're talking about a topic that is so important and intimate as being a joyful parent.
Today is STATurday in my fitness groups! Here's my pic for today.
Goals for October:
Increase workouts to more challenge
Use weights
Build muscle tone
Lose 5 pounds
I've been doing Country Heat and Yoga. I'm 5 months post partum next week. Nursing, so I have to be really careful with nutrition. Still have a pregnancy pooch going on, which is all about the clean nutrition and workouts. I cannot do any ab work yet (c section) and again I'm being super careful with nutrition, can't go too lean. My son's milk is most important.
I haven't added weights yet. To be honest, I'm terrified. I have some pain still, not bad, but uncomfortable and I don't want to hurt myself. I've also had some back pain from my spinal, so trying not to aggravate it. But it's time to build some strength back and I'm hoping that will help my back to be stronger and mid section to be leaner. I lost so much muscle tone with 4 months of bedrest and then c section recovery.
Hoping to see some great results this month! What are your goals?
Momlife. It's one phrase that has become so popular in 2016. Seriously, go to the hashtag, you'll see all the #momlife entries. But what is momlife? Some bloggers would have you think that it's this amazing experience that only the best of the best can appreciate, some would have you thinking that momlife is the most exhausting, life sucking experience you've ever embarked on.
I say, it's a daily challenge. Every single day, I'm presented with something new. It's never boring. And it can be amazing and draining at the same time. We moms have to accept the challenge to choose joy every single day, even if we step on that same lego for the 15th time. Why? Because our kids DESERVE a joyful parent.
I struggle. You struggle. Let's support each other and learn some strategies to always be able to see the gospel in our kids, to choose joy daily, and to end the mommy wars that are another popular battle these days. None of us has it all right. But all of us can enjoy the ride with a joyful heart. It's HARD, I know, I'm in it. But I also know that my children are my WORLD. And they should feel that way.
This group will be faith based, offer daily accountability, support, prayers, and readings and tips to put your best foot forward for your children. To choose joy! It's an online group that will mimic what you would find in a MOPS group study, but online to work with our schedules! I have a study book for the material that I will be presenting, and some of my own thoughts and readings and scripture that have touched my heart as a mother.
