It's not a Quick Fix ~ It's a Lifestyle Change!

So today marks the day after my 21 Day Fix Extreme journey. So for the last 21 days I decided to forgo alcohol and sweet treats.  There were some days that man I really wanted to dive in and give in to those sweet tooth cravings. Especially having kids and them waving it in my face. But I stuck to it knowing that it was only 21 day. So I was determined to make it happen.  I am by far no where near perfect and I have times where my fitness and nutrition go right out the window. It happens and I’m human. Luckily have been blessed with the tools and have a great support and accountability group to help me get back on track when I do fall off. We are there for each out through the good and the bad times. 

I will say over the last year a good 10-15 lbs have creeped back on me. Yes I have clothes in my closet that are way to snug or don’t fit right now. And I refuse to go out and buy new clothes when I have a closet full. This past summer I decided to get really back on track and start focusing on getting back to where I was. Don’t get me wrong not complaining about my size because where I was 10yrs ago was not a healthy place. So even with the extra weight I still feel great. Just want to have the clothes I have now to fit even better. So over the summer the program I was doing I was able to drop 10lbs and 12inches. Totally happy with that. Today I can report that from doing this latest round of 21 Day Fix Extreme I am down another 3.5lbs and 2.5in. So not exactly what I was looking for, but happy nonetheless that things are changing and going in a great direction. 

One thing I keep telling myself that this journey is my lifestyle. That life happens and things always don’t go as planned and it’s OK. As long as you get back on the horse and continue to stay the course. Remember you might not always see immediate changes or feel like nothing is happening but it is. Small consistent steps lead to amazing results.

If you would like to join in with me on my next 21 day challenge journey, let me know. Comment below or message me. It’s not too late to get started. Also there is a great special happening til Oct 31^st. Let me tell you all about it. So who’s going to join me?      Click here to join me! 

This isn't a quick fix, but a lifestyle change. This program will help give you the tools you need to have a healthy relationship with food, and will improve your physical and mental health! Plus make new friends in a judge free, fun, supportive, accountability and motivation group!! 

When in Doubt, Make Banana Pumpkin Pancakes!!

So I'm heading on vacation in a few days and I look on the kitchen counter and see a few bananas that are starting to get very ripe. Then i look in my fridge and I have canned pumpkin left that I didn't use up. So I'm one that hates to waste anything. I will use up as much of it as possible. So on tonight's agenda i decided to keep in the spirit of the fall season and make it all about the pumpkin. It was a super easy recipe with very few ingredients. Simple just how I like them. 

Something about this time of year that I just love. I love the changes of color in the leaves. I love that fresh crisp air that is just a tad bit cool where you just need a light sweater. Pulling out the fall decorations and letting the festivities of the holiday season gear up. Just feels me with warmth. 

Grab your children and have them make these pancakes with you. Anytime you can spend with your children take advantage of it. Life is to short and they grow up way to fast. 

RECIPE

1 cup oat flour

2 ripe bananas mashed

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

2 eggs

1tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1tsp nutmeg

1/4 unsweetened almond milk(optional)

In a large bowl mash up bananas, then add pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and nutmeg. Mix well until everything is well blended. Then add oat flour to mixture and mix well. If the batter seems too thick then you can the almond milk. Heat up griddle and I like to spray the pan with cooking spray. Use 1/4cup batter for each pancake. Cook well on one side then flip to cook other side. Make sure you cook long enough for the inside to be fully cooked.  Put on plate and serve. If not eating all of them you can wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them in packages of 2. Then when I want them, I will pull a package out defrost and toss them in a toaster. I like that it gives them a bit of a crunch. 

This recipe makes approx, 12 pancakes. Serving size is 2 pancakes. Have fun and enjoy!

Nutrition FactsServings 6.0Amount Per Servingcalories 147% Daily Value *Total Fat 3 g5 %Saturated Fat 0 g2 %Monounsaturated Fat 1 gPolyunsaturated Fat 0 gTrans Fat 0 gCholesterol 62 mg21 %Sodium 30 mg1 %Potassium 179 mg5 %Total Carbohydrate 24 g8 %Dietary Fiber 4 g17 %Sugars 5 gProtein 6 g12 %Vitamin A27 %Vitamin C7 %Calcium5 %Iron5 %* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

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Are you Taking Accountability in your Life??

Do you take accountability in your life?? In your relationships? In your faith? I listened to a podcast the other day about this subject and it really made me think about how much accountability I really am responsible for in my life. I can tell you this some of the areas in my life that I struggle with are due to not being fully accountable. When you finally make the choice to stop and take accountability, man does your life change. I know it did for me. I'm still working on it in certain areas of my life but so far it's made me a better person. Really makes me stop and think when I say or do things in life from here on out..

You can make excuses all day long about how you didn't get this or that, why this happened why this didn't happen, but none of it matters til you become accountable to them and take responsibility. We can blame others all we won't be it really won't solve the bigger issue. And it all begins and starts with you. Nothing in life is really easy. You have to work hard to get what you want and when you take action and say to yourself, you know what this is my life and I am the only person that can change it to the way I want it. You have the power as to how you chose to live your life. I personally did this in my coaching business. Made excuses as to why I wasn't where I was. That attitude got me no where. When I made the switch to taking accountability that's when things started changing in my business. I sat back and made a plan of action of what I needed to do. Not what others said I needed to do. Did I listen to the advice and opinions  that they had, absolutely. But it all boiled down to what I needed to do for me and me alone. And that was take accountability for my own life. So for me it was time to have a good ole chat with myself. How did that go you ask?

Let's take my faith in God. My faith in God has grown immensely since being accountable. How so, for starters once I got back into my daily regimen with giving praise to my Lord, giving him thanks for everything that has come into my life. I have a stronger connection then ever before. And it's all because I took accountability for my actions. I made the decision that keeping faith in my life daily is a non-negotiable. First thing I do when I wake up in the morning  is listen to Charles Stanley via podcasts. It really sets the tone  for my day. I have also been listening to other inspirational podcasts before I head off to sleep. It's really made a difference in how I view my days these last few months.  I'm so thankful and blessed to have made these decisions in my life to get back into focus with God. 

So if you are not where you want to be in your life, step back and take a closer look as to why. I'm also a firm believer that where we are in life is where we are suppose to be. That we have lessons and life experiences that we need to learn before moving to the next phase. With that you also have to take responsibility and work on you while at those crossroads. This is where taking accountability comes into action. If you don't like where you're at then change it. Look deep inside to find out what is stopping you from moving forward when you feel like you keep hitting the same wall. I know for me when I finally did this I opened up a whole new world of wonders for myself. It's taken awhile for all this to happen and I'm still a work in process but I'm heading in a great direction and starting to make things happen because I finally stepped up and took accountability for my life. Best decision I ever made was renewing my faith with God. That's been the key to my success. It has opened doors for me, that I have only dreamed of.  If you would like to hear some of the podcasts that have made a shift in my thoughts here is the link. http://www.intouch.org/.  I love listening to Charles Stanley pretty much everyday. He has a way of delivering messages that just hit home for me. So I just wanted to share this with others. If there is someone that needs to see this then I hope it reaches them. 

Life is definitely going to be crazy at times. I don't claim to sit here saying it isn't. I have had my own share of craziness and I still do from time to time. But I can say that I get through it by the grace of God now. I now have the tools to be able to not flip out or worry myself so much I make myself sick. I now look at life and any issues that might arise with a clearer more calmer outlook. I'm just trying to live a simple, drama-free, clutter free life, the way God would want me to. So if you are looking to make some changes remember start with you 1st. Work on your own personal development. There is so much information out there in books, on audio and video. Also while your being accountable to yourself, you can also connect up with an accountability partner. Whether it be your spouse or friend. If there is someone you trust and you both have a good connection and relationship then help each other out. I have a few accountability partners. It's great to know we are both on the same wave length and we keep it real with each other. We both know we can share things and neither one of us judges the other. It starts with you. You just have to decide what you want to make as a priority in your life. 

I wish everyone a blessed day and wonderful adventures on your life journey!! Take the 1st step!