GOT BIG EYES?

Are your eyes bigger than your stomach? This is totally me! Ever since I was a little girl, I have always had such an admiration for food and I absolutly love having options and a variety… I'm that person that would stare at the menu, like a deer in headlights, feeling pressured to make a decision because it all just looks so incredible. I could literally imagine myself eating it all! Well, if they could, my eyes would eat everything but my stomach, on the other hand, is screaming at me when I do over-indulge!

I realized, after many attempts at stuffing my face, that this way of living was no longer working for my body. Yea, sure, when you are young and working out 2 hours a day, most of us could get away with that kind of lifestyle but I honestly did not like how it made me feel.

I noticed when I eat a bunch, 4-6 servings, of smaller meals throughout the day, and space them out, my body is able to digest it all so much better without overloading my system. AND I still get all the delicious yummy healthy (and fun!) foods I need <<KEY WORD. This is a word that has changed my Life. Find foods that you NEED to survive, rather than WANT! This is not to say we cannot have our "fundays" and enjoy ourselves…It makes it so much more worth it in the end when we don't overwhelm our bodies, leaving ourselves feeling bloated and fatigued from over eating when we can nourish it with nutrients we need to survive…

>>I'm curious, does anyone else have BIG EYES or is it just me? lol Comment below if you would like to share what trouble your big eyes get you into<<

Mindful Tips>> 

“ “Eat to Live, Don’t Live to Eat””

HOW CAN I STOP THE MADNESS?? HERE ARE SOME TIPS...

• Are you eating just to eat or are you mindful of the foods you eat? 
• Are you thirsty? Drink some water, you could just be dehydrated and water can help fill that urge of binging.
• Shrink your stomach by eliminating 5 of the TOP INSTIGATORS to overeating: 

1. Alcohol
2. Gluten
3. Dairy
4. Processed Foods
5. Sugar

• Cleanse your body and you will be AMAZED! Once you release the toxins from your system you will begin to crave food that truly nourishes your body and you will have an appreciation for the flavor after you have cleansed your palette. You will be more in tune with what your body, and will be more aware of what your body can handle and what it reacts to. This has been a game changer for me! Anytime I fall victim to this vicious cycle, I immediately take some time to focus on my MIND.BODY.SOUL with a Cleanse to reboot and refocus :)

These cleansing benefits are an added bonus to cutting back on over eating… If you are seeking a to try an incredible nutritional cleansing system, I absolutly love helping to coach people through the process so feel free to reach out when you are ready! :)

• CHANGE YOUR THINKING. This is so vital in everything we do, the way we think about food and our healthy will change our actions. Take a step back and before reaching for seconds, ask yourself, "Is this the best choice for me and my body?" Give it a few more minutes before you dive into that 3rd heaping of pasta…Your body sometimes just needs some time to process everything before it can relay the message to your brain that you are full. Also, what I found to be really helpful was researching healthy foods and how incredible they are for my body, this has encouraged me to support these super foods as they support me. 
• KEEP THE JUNK AWAY OR MAKE BETTER CHOICES! I am more likely to make poor choices when there are too many options in my house. When you are out to eat, that is when self control needs to be on point. But at home we have the choice, as easy as it can be to grab a candy bar after a big dinner, it can be just as easy to not buy it at all and have none in the house. >> OR << If you feel like that is a disaster waiting to happen and you will have serious withdrawals from a having your treat…Buy an option that will benefit you > Have some dark chocolate available for you to indulge! At least this way you are getting some antioxidants while fixing that craving. 

JUST REMEMBER> You are not alone. We all have our moments of WANT, NEED, + DESIRE. We deserve to indulge every so often, just remember to keep it at just that..EVERY. SO .OFTEN. When that time comes, consider it a "fun day" and hop right back on the healthy train…WOOT WOOT! May sound corny, but your body will thank you :)                                                 

Finding Balance among the chaos….

SO TRUE>> Most people stop from progressing with their self-care goals because it may be challenging in finding the constant balance between taking care of themselves and caring for their family. The important thing to remember when trying to decide if you can strike this balance is that self-care is not selfish. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.

It absolutely is not selfish to make sure your needs are taken care of, being a stay at home mom myself while building a business from home, I definitely find times of weakness and struggle with playing the balancing act and that is when I know it is extremely important for me to take time for just me (minus the mommy guilt)..no shame in that!

Click link for an awesome article with some helpful tips… 

UNDENATURED LIVING

I normally am not one to compare but I am so proud of the products I use to help myself and my family feel like the best version of ourselves possible…Even down to the source of the whey protein! The cows that they receive the whey from are happy cows, unlike most conventional companies, these cows are given freedom to graze and roam freely creating a less stressful environment. Wouldn't you like to know that the food you are putting into your body is free of stress, no use of hormones or antibiotics, and not denatured or depleted of nutrients? 

Love my happy cow shakes!!! 

AVOCADO SALSA

Ingredients

• organic tomatoes diced
• chopped red onion
• 1 large jalapeños, seeded and chopped (1/4 cup. leave the seeds if you love spicy like we do!)
• 3-4 medium ripe avocados, semi-firm but ripe, peeled, cored and diced
• a few Tbsp's olive oil
• 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice (lemon is good too!)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• tsp salt (season to taste)
• black pepper
• KEY INGREDIENT: chopped up cilantro!!!

This is a cleanse approved snack...I love adding this Avocado Salsa to Mary's Gone Crackers, Brown Rice Cakes, Ezekiel Toast, or my favorite Sprouted Grain Chips>> Recipe here>>

Enjoy this super yummy delicious nutritious snack! :)

WATER IS LIFE >>HOW TO DRINK MORE TIP OF THE DAY<<

DID YOU KNOW?

More than half of our body consists of water.

Nothing is more beneficial than getting your water in, flushing out those nasty toxins, transporting oober important vitamins and minerals, helping to aide our body in recovery, restoration, and healthy cellular growth, AND of course, the most obvious reason of all, to keep our bodies hydrated. 

This is a great article of the TOP 10 REASONS WHY TO DRINK MORE WATER!  http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/clark2.htm

LOVE THIS WATER BOMB IDEA! Maybe I will get enough courage to rock out a full gallon someday…Although I drink a gallon a day..Gallon's of water intimidate me. if you feel the same way, read a little tip i learned to get your water in for the day. if not, by all means, rock out with your jug out! 

to keep track >>

 

 

Personally, I like to use a 32oz. water bottle. A teammate of mine recommended putting 4 rubber bands (or hair things) at the bottom of the bottle. When you finish YOUR FIRST 32OZ. and go to refill, simply take one rubber band off..Once all the rubber bands Are gone you know you got your water intake for the day! Easy peasy to keep you track. However you get your water in…..

TIP OF THE DAY

The key is to decide. Start making the commitment to drinking more water and I promise you that your body will start craving it more and more. It is the essence of our being, our life force, with so many incredible benefits. "You say, ok Rachel, this sounds a little crazy! You want me to drink a gallon a day??" I know it may seem like a lot. Go at your own pace, start by setting a goal, breaking down exactly how much you want to get in for the day, and make it happen. We are supposed to at least get in half of our body weight in water. So if you are 140lbs then you would need to replenish with 70 oz of water for the day. What most people are unaware of is that caffeine is DE-hydrating! EEK! For every caffeinated beverage, we are recommended to drink an extra 8oz glass of water! So, try your best to eliminate those unnecessary caffeinated diet drinks loaded with toxins, artificial sweeteners, artificial coloring, sugar, and carbonation. Treat those as they are>> TREATS! :)

NOT A WATER FAN?

I do have some cleansers that are very turned off by the taste of plain jane water. My advice to you would be to have fun with it. Get creative! I love to add lemons or lime to mine to give my fluids that bit of tangy flavor, mint is also a great way to change things up. I always recommend herbal teas, they are free from caffeine and provide some yummy flavor, to get some more fluids in. Green Tea has very minimal caffeine and is high in antioxidants! My favorite is adding in an electrolyte and vitamin drink mix, Replenish, which gives the delicious flavor while giving the body a faster recovery for those insane workouts, It's a WIN WIN! Regardless, it is so vital to get that water in..So stay committed and make it apart of your daily routine..Your body will thank you :)

A GALLON A DAY KEEPS DEHYDRATION AWAY!

>>>Please feel free to share your helpful tips to get our fluids in!

LOVE YOUR BODY TIP OF THE DAY!

My friend shared this and I just absolutely love how empowering this message is! There is no such thing as the "perfect body". Like a fine wine, we only get better with age…and the "battle wounds", as I like to call them, are all apart of the process of growing older. Natural aging, giving birth, and growing from our experiences are all apart of this game called Life. Embrace the "flaws"... the imperfections are what make us unique and stronger mentally..I just love how the writer of this article describes it by how it "tells our story"…The wrinkles by my eyes express my laughter and fun over the decades..the stretch marks on my body represent the life I have given to sacrifice as a home for my children, the "perfect" boobs I once had are no longer perky because I have nurtured my little one's and given them the nutrition to survive and grow..this is not something that should be shamed but celebrated! Think about all that we do gain, with more experience comes knowledge and knowledge is power. Would it be ok to focus on the perks of maturity rather than the "flaws"? 

Let's all join together in a movement of acceptance for our bodies and embrace our overall Health.. To live a Life of gratitude of aging BEAUTIFULLY, for our generations to admire and welcome the "battle wounds" in Life! 

I love what these athletic and fitness women have to say about their "battle wounds" and how they embrace them!!! They humbly display their pictures and the battles with their mental chatter struggling with the change in their bodies over time….

MUST READ ARTICLE! 

http://hiit-blog.dailyhiit.com/hiit-life/women/fit-women-cellulite-stretch-marks-love-bodies/