I am taking this week as a rest week between rounds of 21 Day Fix.  Yesterday, I finished day #21 of my second full round, so I have decided that instead of jumping back into another 21 days I will take a week off between them.  This works out pretty well for me because it means I can do one round of 21 Day Fix each month without getting burnt out or feeling like it's never going to end.

So here's a look at how this week will be different from a typical week on 21 Day Fix:

• Instead of measuring my food in the colored containers I will continue to eat from the list of "allowed" foods but not worry as much about measuring every serving.  
• Instead of tracking my containers on the 21 Day Fix app I will eat sensible amounts of food.  I plan on eating when I'm hungry and stopping when I'm full.
• Instead of completing the 21 Day Fix workouts each day I will be doing different routines so that I can get some variety from the ones I've been doing for the last three weeks.  I will be using the Beachbody OnDemand feature to check out other workout programs to see which other ones I like.  
• Instead of allowing myself one treat meal on Friday night I will be more flexible with the foods I eat and will have a special meal if I have been craving it for the last few weeks...without going overboard, of course.

My overall plan for this rest week is to use common sense in choosing which foods to eat but also giving myself a break from writing down everything I eat.  I will also experiment with new workouts so that I can try different programs I haven't tried yet.  I'll keep some notes from this week and let you know how it goes and if I plan to do anything differently after my next round of 21 Day Fix.

If you have any questions on how 21 Day Fix works or would like some information on how you can sign up, please send me an email at [email protected].  

Don't forget to bookmark this page or share it with a friend if you think they would be interested!

Everyone has moments in their life when they want to quit.  Usually it's because they're unhappy with their situation.  But sometimes it can be more than that.  Maybe they are afraid of failure and it seems easier to not try in the first place rather than face the possibility of trying and failing at something.  There's a chance that they have failed at so many things in their life, both big and small, that the idea of failing one more time is just too much to handle.  Does that sound familiar?

Here's a real example from my own life.  The story is a bit long, but I think it holds a lesson we can all learn from.  So keep reading until the end and hopefully you will be able to apply this to your own life.

​You might not know this about me, but I tend to be an "all or nothing" type of person.  Typically I see things in either black or white.  Either I'm in or I'm out.  Either I like something or I don't like it.  I rarely see things in shades of gray.  So when it comes to my life I tend to be pretty decisive and can easily make decisions to figure out what I want to do.  

The one exception to this seems to be my Beachbody business.  I signed up as a coach three months ago and at first I was "all-in".  I would stay up late watching YouTube videos on how to run a successful network marketing business and I would write page after page of notes on how to improve my social media presence.  

Slowly something changed.  I started to spend less time on my business and wasn't quite as eager to run through my daily list of tasks. It was frustrating because I could remember how exciting this was in the beginning.  How could I go from loving something so much to feeling like it was weighing me down, all in such a short period of time?

Thankfully it didn't take me long to figure out what was going on.  As a result of being a coach I had been spending time every day working on personal development.  I soon realized that I was letting the fear of failure weigh me down.  I was terrified that I would fully commit to my Beachbody business and eventually fail majorly, so I was holding myself back from going "all-in".  Essentially, I was half-assing my way through every day.

I was afraid to quit because I knew I would always wonder what could have happened if I had stuck to it.  And I was afraid to keep going because I didn't want to fail at something that I truly cared about.  So I was stuck in the middle, wondering when I would be able to make the decision on which way I was going to move forward.

That moment happened yesterday.  I received some discouraging news about my business and it seemed like it was a sign that I should just give up.  It was the perfect excuse to quit while I was ahead and resign myself to the fact that this wasn't going to work.  My head was telling me that this was the moment when I needed to walk away from my business.

But something strange happened.  I was feeling conflicted even thought I had been given  the perfect excuse to quit.  Although my head was telling me to give up, my heart was telling me that I needed to keep going.  I spent some time listening to the war going on between my head and my heart, not knowing which side was going to win.

And then it hit me.  I knew without a doubt that I was going to stick to my business and not give up.  Despite the fact that I felt terrified to officially go "all-in", it also felt amazing to finally know that I had overcome my hesitation and would be giving myself the chance to do something I knew I wanted to do.

Now that I've had this epiphany, I feel more confident than ever in my future.  It's ironic, actually, that a piece of bad news could somehow convince me to become more dedicated to something instead of making me run away from it.

So you might be asking yourself "how does this relate to me and my life"?

I think anyone can learn a lesson from this story.  We are all faced with tough decisions in our lives.  It's usually tempting to take the easy road and quit.  But I'm here to tell you that everything truly happens for a reason.  And if you feel like quitting something just because you might fail at it, there's a good chance that it's something that really matters to you.  

Why else would you be so afraid of failing?  I think it's because you care about the outcome and you're afraid to see what could happen.  It may seem scary to go "all-in" or fully commit to something.  If you find yourself in this situation, simply ask yourself how you would feel looking back on this moment knowing that you could have done something that truly mattered to you if only you hadn't given up too soon.

Amazing things can happen when we step outside of our comfort zone.  So I am challenging you to do something that scares you.  I think you'll be surprised at how good it feels!

I hope this post was helpful and you learned something from it!  Don't forget to bookmark a link to this blog and also share this post with a friend who could use some help stepping out of their comfort zone.  

Leave a comment below or shoot me an email at [email protected] if you would like to discuss what you've got going on in your life.

Due to the fact that I've been a vegetarian for 13 years you were probably surprised to see that I am posting a recipe for pork chops...am I right?  Well that's because I am going to modify the recipe by using "Chik'n" cutlets instead of actual pork chops.  I will still post the actual ingredients and the instructions used to cook real pork chops, but for my own purposes I will be using fake chicken.  

Surprisingly, I didn't find this recipe on Pinterest.  Shocker, I know!  I saw a picture on Instagram that looked absolutely delicious and the person who posted it indicated that they had found the recipe through a site called The Pioneer Woman.  I immediately went to the site and found the recipe because I knew I had to make it for myself.  Not only is the website full of amazingly delicious recipes, I also really enjoyed the "voice" of the author, whose name is Ree.  So here's a link to the original site so you can check it out for yourself.  

And here is the recipe that I am so excited to make for myself.  {As a side note, the person who posted the recipe on Instagram commented that she cuts down the soy sauce because the first time she made the recipe it was too salty.  So take that how you will and adjust according to your own tastes.}

 Ingredients:

• 1/2 whole Pineapple, Cut Into Spears And Skewered
• 2 cups White Or Brown Rice, Cooked
• 6 whole Pork Chops
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Peanut Oil Or Canola Oil
• 1 whole Large Onion, Sliced
• 6 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (more To Taste, Or If More Liquid Is Needed)
• 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• 1 Tablespoon Sriracha, Or Other Hot Sauce
•  Salt To Taste
• 3 cloves Minced Garlic
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 jar (small) Drained Pimentos
• 1-1/2 cup Frozen Peas
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (additional)

Instructions:

Cook rice according to package instructions. Set aside.

Grill or saute pineapple spears until they have good marks/color on the outside. Slice, then set aside. 

(Note: soak wooden skewers in water for a few hours first.)

Heat butter and oil over medium high heat, then add the pork chops to the pan. Saute on both sides until they have nice color. 

Throw in the sliced onions and work them into the crevices between the chops. Shake the pan and move the onions around and let them cook for a good couple of minutes. 

When the onions are starting to soften, add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, and hot sauce. Shake the pan, stir it around, and let it cook and bubble up for a good couple of minutes until the pork chops are completely cooked and the sauce is thicker. Remove the pork chops to a bowl, then let the sauce bubble up and cook for another 30 to 45 seconds. Pour it over the pork chops. Set aside.

Add a small amount of oil to the same pan (without cleaning it) and return it to the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir it around, then crack in the eggs and immediately stir them to scramble them a bit. Add peas, pimentos, and a couple of tablespoons (additional) soy sauce. Add cooked rice and stir it around to cook for a couple of minutes.

To serve, pile rice on a plate, then top with a pork chops and onions from the sauce. Drizzle a little bit of sauce over the top.

Doesn't this look amazing?  I am so excited to make this and I hope it tastes even half as good as it looks!

As much as I try to be consistent and really stick to my fitness goals, there are definitely ups and downs along the way.  

For example, last week I was so excited to increase my hand weights from 3 pounds to 5 pounds.  I felt so strong at the end of my upper body workout and was really proud of myself for pushing my limits.  Yesterday, however, I started having some serious pain in my ribs which turns out to be a consequence of that upper body workout where I really pushed myself.  So now I have to be smart and give my body a break so it can heal itself.  See what I mean about ups and downs?

Another great moment this past week was when I weighed myself and saw that I had lost a total of 17 pounds from my heaviest weight.  It's so amazing to see proof that my hard work and dedication are paying off.  And now I have a cruise to go on at the end of April, so I've got even  more motivation to really buckle down and work hard!

A few weeks ago I shared some of my tips & tricks for staying motivated and losing weight.  It seemed like you guys really enjoyed hearing the tips I had to offer, so now I'd like to open up a discussion and ask you if you have any questions I can try to answer.  Maybe you're not sure of how much water you should be drinking or whether you should focus on cardio or weight training.  Those are things that I can try to help you with!  So if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below or send me a direct message so we can have a private discussion.  I've learned a lot in my journey, so I would love to pass along some of my knowledge and try to help you see some great results!

​I have decided that my word for this year is going to be "fearless".  Not because I plan on living without fear, but because I want to embrace my fear and let it push me out of my comfort zone.  I want to do things I never thought possible and that usually only happens when you've got some level of fear.  Hopefully you will see a theme in my posts for the next year where I talk about doing things I never thought I would do or overcoming a certain fear by facing it head-on.  So stay tuned to see where this takes me!

Also, I wanted to give you an update on my 21 Day Fix progress.  I weighed myself this morning and have lost exactly 16 pounds since the middle of October.  I am really happy with these results and am proud that I got through the holidays without gaining it all back!  

Out of curiosity I looked to see how long it had been since I weighed this much and it turns out it was almost exactly a year ago.  Part of me was actually kind of frustrated because in a way it feels like I wasted a whole year.  If only I had stayed on track this time last year then maybe I'd weigh much less instead of the same.  But, with the helpful advice of an amazing friend, I realized that I need to look at this as an inner growth and know that I have learned a lot about myself in the past year to get me where I am today.

I almost lost that motivation this afternoon when I realized the day had mostly gone by and I hadn't worked out yet.  The "old me" would have told myself that I could just workout tomorrow, but the "new me" knew that I'd be frustrated with myself for not doing something I told myself I would do.  So I turned on my DVD player and a short 30 minutes later I was done with my full body cardio workout and proud of myself for finishing it.

It's nice to see that with the right attitude and the right support system, we really can accomplish anything we set our minds to!

That's it for tonight, but stay tuned for more!

It's been almost a year since my last cruise and I finally decided to book another one!  This time I'll be sailing on the Navigator of the Seas on an 8 Night Eastern Caribbean itinerary.  We leave on April 30 and return on May 8.  There will be 4 of us going on the trip.  We've all traveled together before, so I know we're going to have a blast!

Here's what we'll be doing on this trip:
Day 1: Board ship in Fort Lauderdale
Day 2: Sailing at sea
Day 3: Labadee, Haiti (private island)
Day 4: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Day 5: Basseterre, St. Kitts
Day 6: Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Day 7: Sailing at sea
Day 8: Sailing at sea
Day 9: Return to Fort Lauderdale

We haven't booked our excursions yet, but it looks like there are a lot of cool things to do and see in these ports, so I'll be excited to share our plans once we've made them!

As always, I'll be doing a trip report when we return so I can show you my pictures and tell you all about our adventures.  Stay tuned for more!

Today I am starting another round of 21 Day Fix, but because I'm doing things so differently I feel like I'm actually starting over.  I was really successful with my first round and ended up losing 11 pounds in 3 weeks, so I was very happy with those results.  I posted the picture from above after finishing my first round and was surprised to see how much change I could see in my face.  The biggest difference I noticed was how much happier I look in the picture on the right.  It's amazing how much can change in such a short amount of time, both physically and mentally!

The second round I completed was in December and I didn't do quite as well.  I basically stopped trying mid-month and didn't even finish out the 21 days. At first I was really disappointed in myself, but then I remembered that I'm trying to not be so hard on myself, so I gave myself a break until after the holidays were over.

The round that I am starting today will technically be considered my second round "do-over" since the last time didn't go so well.  I plan on doing things differently this time around, so I'm going to go over some of those changes to give you some tips & tricks that might work for you if you're trying to get healthier.

Meal Planning:

Before the Tone It Up Bikini Series last year I decided I wanted to write myself encouraging letters to read each week along the way.  That's what you see in this picture.  I'm going to do the same thing for this round of 21 Day Fix so that I can give myself pep talks before I start each week.  They're basically all going to say things like "you can do this" or "don't give up", but I'm hoping that reading them each week will remind me why I'm doing this and help me to stick to it.

Workout Tracking:

This is an idea I got from Pinterest.  Basically you use page flags to write down the number of days you want to workout and then stick them somewhere so that you can peel them off each day you complete a workout.  In my example above I did five days a week and each week is a different color.  

​I've found this to be highly motivating because it makes me feel good to peel a flag off every time I workout.  It's also a nice visual reminder because it gives you an idea of how much further you have to go.  I'll be doing this for the next 16 weeks before my next cruise, so I'll have 5 flags a week for 16 weeks.  I'll probably do them separately for each round of 21 Day Fix so that it doesn't feel so overwhelming!

Cheat Meals vs. Treat Meals:

When I first started 21 Day Fix I decided that I would have one cheat meal every week where I could eat whatever I wanted.  It actually worked out pretty well because it allowed me the freedom to dream about eating something unhealthy all week and then enjoy it on Friday night.  The only thing I'm changing about this is that instead of thinking of it as a cheat meal I'm going to start referring to it as a treat meal.  Because technically I'm not cheating by eating something outside the plan, I'm actually making a logical decision to eat something I've been craving all week and therefore "treating" myself.

And so those are some of the ways I'll be changing my approach to following 21 Day Fix.  Let me know if any of these ideas were helpful or if you have any tips or tricks of your own that you would like to share!