Your Body is Your Home

Weekly Update:

I have to say, I felt good about this week but had no idea just how well I did!  I'm really noticing changes in my body and loving the noticeable progress.  This week I'm down 1.8lbs for a total of 49lbs!  I feel really good about my 50lb goal by the end of the month :)

If you enjoy my blog, I'd love to have you in my private (women only) Facebook Group dedicated to health, fitness and nutrition: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FitandHealthyPrivateGroup/ 

I saw this photo posted this week and I couldn't help but remember a quote that I heard in a Weight Watchers meeting in college "Your body is the only home you'll always have to live in so treat it well" (I don't remember the exact way it was worded, but that was the intent).  That really stuck with me at the time.   It seem so obvious, but so many of us forget this in our daily actions.   

Sticking with that theme, I've been working really hard to improve my mind & body through community, fitness and proper eating.    My Mommy & Me Fitness business, Fit and Balanced Mom, LLC  I strive to create a community for moms to connect with one anther, form bonds and fit in fitness when it may seem impossible.  Here are two photos from our Hartford launch this past week.   We had a great turnout, and at the end of class one mom mentioned that it "felt like [she] had the morning off".  What a great compliment, we all had our kiddos with us yet it was a relaxing break to the busy mommy day!

In addition to my Mommy & Me Pilates classes, I am sticking to my 30 minute workouts 5 days a week.  I've been taking a daily selfie with my "max out" times every day to keep me motivated and accountable. 

Weekends have always been my 'prep' days for the week.  I am a big fan of cooking large batches of food, portioning them out in advance and packaging them up for the week.  That way there are no excuses and no 'starving' decisions being made.  Here are some quinoa and veggie stuffed peppers I made this Saturday.   As a vegetarian, I love dishes like this because it was easy to make half with the veggie/quinoa mixture and put some turkey in with the other half - an easy way to make enough for the whole family!

My husband also is constantly finding delicious recipes like this one.   We altered it a little to lighten it up, we halved the sweet potatoes and filled in with butternut squash.  It was really good, and even our 16 month old son couldn't get enough of it!

We also were fortunate enough to have a 'date' night for the first time since I can't remember when.  In the past we've rushed to get in dinner before my son is in bed (which means 4:30pm date night and also missing our son all dinner long), this time we decided to put him to bed around 6:30pm then head out to dinner.  It was nice and relaxing and much needed! It's amazing how you forget what it feels like to go out kid free.  I stuck to my food plan as best as possible, this is a vegan polenta lasagna and it was amazing. I ate about 1/4 of it then brought the rest home.

One interesting thing to note about this, out of curiosity (I knew I was going out so I planned it), I weighed myself the morning of, the morning after and the morning after that to demonstrate why daily weigh-ins aren't effective.    The morning of I was 187.5lbs, the morning following this sodium filled meal I was 189.7lbs, and the day following that I was down to 186.7lbs.   My point here, if you weigh daily it's really hard to get a handle on how you are progressing because one meal can throw you off for a day.  I am a firm believer of one weigh in (maximum) a week, taken at the same day and time for consistency. 

I wanted to close this post with a photo of my WHY.  Every day I think of this little guy. I want to be there in his life for years to come, and I want to be a good role model for him with my health as well as my ambition.  Making the decision last week to resign from my corporate job and focus on my health and wellness career solidifies my dedication to this WHY.   I want my son to see me following my dreams and helping others on a daily basis.

More about me or to order any products:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

Business Website: http://www.fitandbalancedmom.com/

Contact: FitandBalancedMom@gmail.com

Exciting News: Becoming what I was meant to be

Weekly Update:

At my weekly weigh in I am down another 0.8lbs for a new total of 47.2lbs.  My goal is to get to 50 by February 1st.  I'm really excited because I not only maintained my 3 Day Cleanse loss, but also lost additional weight.  This week I feel phenomena as I followed the 21 Day Fix food plan very closely while doing my Insanity Max 30 workouts consistently.   It's such a great feeling to be 'back on track'.  I really contribute my focus to the 3 Day Cleanse (I loved it so much I plan to do it monthly!).  That being said, I wasn't terrible over the holidays, however I didn't lose weight either. I went up and down a few pounds here and there averaging about the same weight over the month of December.   

I also have another really exciting update!   Monday morning, after significant consideration and conversations with my husband, we decided that I could leave my corporate job of 10 years and pursue my Pilates and Health Coaching business.  This enables me to follow my passion, and do something I know I'm really good at as well as spend more time with my son (being a "mom" is something I've wanted to do since well before I ever became a mother!).  It will surely be a roller coaster, but I'm very excited that I finally decided to take the plunge and follow my dreams.

If you enjoy my blog, I'd love to have you in my private (women only) Facebook Group dedicated to health, fitness and nutrition: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FitandHealthyPrivateGroup/ 

We officially 'decided' on Friday, and this is a photo of the flowers my husband brought home as a 'congratulations on your new job' gift from him and our son.   I can count the times on one hand that my husband has gotten me flowers (he's not a flowers guy), so I knew something 'big' was up when he came home with two dozen!

In workout news...this week marked the third of my new 60 workout program, "Insanity Max: 30" by Shaun T.  I am so excited that I'm finally at the point in my fitness journey that I can handle a workout with the word "Insanity" in it.    And I can keep up too!!  The point of the workout is to "max out" and record what time you hit when you have to stop and take a break, or start to slow down and modify.  All the workouts are 30 minutes which is nice (I can fit them in during my son's nap time or just after he is in bed).  

I'm excited because I realized today I have already been doing it 16 days and it barely feels like that!   It's a 60 day program, and I can already notice changes in my body and endurance.  I can't wait to see the total impact over the program when I finish at the end of February.

Out of curiosity, I went back and found a 'fitness selfie' from the summer when I started my very first program (T25 - 25 minute workouts, I followed the modifier 95% of the time when I first started).     It's exciting that I can see noticeable changes in my face over just a few month's time.  When I started this journey, I knew I was determined but I had no idea where the journey would take me and I'm grateful every single day.

One of my favorite things to do is make homemade sauce.   It's super easy, and a lot better for you than the canned and jarred sauces.  No added sugars or sodium and you can make of it what you want! I raided the fridge and found tomatoes, spinach, onion, red pepper, garlic, jalapenos and Italian Seasoning.   Delish!

Here is the finished product after about an hour of simmering.

I then made cauliflower pizza which is awesome for pizza without all the carbs - it's full of protein and veggies and extremely filling!  I topped mine with spinach, peppers, onions, ricotta, Italian seasoning, homemade sauce and a dash of mozzarella.

In addition to the pizza, I was really good about planning for work this week.  It's amazing how being on track and prepared can really make you feel great about your day and much less overwhelmed!

Friday, I was supposed to Launch my Mommy & Me Pilates classes in Hartford and we woke up to find out that a random white out flash blizzard was hitting Hartford.   We ultimately decided to postpone until this week to avoid having mommies and babies on the road.    

Benji and I decided to make the best of the day and went for a quick sledding trip!  He loves his sled, to the point where he shrieked once he was all bundled up and saw me take it out.  Unfortunately it was about 15 degrees out so the sledding was limited to about 3 minutes.

Here's the little guy all bundled up and ready for the COLD weather we got this week!

Pilates class on Tuesday night's continues to be a blast and we are rapidly expanding our group of moms!

This week was full of fitness between my Pilates class, my Insanity Max 30 workouts and an amazing event called "Super Sunday" that I attended.   It's a quarterly Beachbody event with speakers sharing their weight loss and health successes as well as business success from doing something they love.  The workshop finishes with an hour long Combat workout.  This is a photo of my friend Katie and I doing the workout with intensity!    I've attended this workshop twice now and it has solidified my desire to help others achieve their fitness goals.  As a coach, I am able to share my experiences (from challenges, to successes) and motivate others to succeed as well.  From looking to lose weight, to just looking to regain health or elevate fitness levels, I love working with people to help motivate them to set clear goals to become stronger and healthier with each day that passes.

If you are interested in coaching (free!) please contact me!  The links below include my contact information as well as website to order some of the products I talk about in my blog.   

More about me or to order any products:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

Business Website: http://www.fitandbalancedmom.com/

Contact: FitandBalancedMom@gmail.com

21 Days: 100% Commitment

Weekly Update:  This week I am down -4.4lbs for a total of 46.4lbs.  I completed a 3 Day Shakeology cleanse, and I have to say I feel absolutely amazing.  I have so much energy, and I've been sleeping so well!   And for the first time in 7 months I'm actually feeling like I am seeing some noticeable changes.  Since I started Max 30 Last week, it may be a combination of Max 30 and the Cleanse, but I feel ready to CONQUER 2015!

Here are my original photos at 236.6lbs and then ones taken today.  I share these to inspire others who are looking at the big picture - take a step back and look ONE day at a time and learn to love yourself along heh journey.

These represent 7/11/14 - 1/8/15.

If you enjoy my blog, I'd love to have you in my private (women only) Facebook Group dedicated to health, fitness and nutrition: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FitandHealthyPrivateGroup/ 

With the New Year, so many people make 'resolutions' which often get forgotten after a few weeks.   What I've learned over the past 6 months is that accountability is a huge piece of the success equation.  I love this quote and it's so important to write those goals down, and ideally to tell others about them.    Please don't hesitate to write your goals in the comments of this blog - it really does help to get them down on paper.  

I posted my long and short term goals in the last blog post, but wanted to post some even shorter term goals in this post.  While my eating hasn't been terrible the past few weeks of the holidays, it's been a little bit of a roller coaster with some good days and some really off track days.  I've essentially kept  my weight consistent which I consider to be a success, but I missed my "January 1st" goal of being a total of 50lbs down.

I am hitting the reset button as of this Monday, doing the 3 Day Cleanse (feel free to ask me the details!) and committing 100% to the 21 Day Fix starting Thursday.  The Fix has been the program that has kept me losing weight consistently since July.   In July, I followed the full 21 Day Program and lost 11.5lbs and it taught me so much about balanced and 'clean' eating.  Since July, I've followed the program 75-80% of the time, and I work out at least 20 minutes 6 days a week.   Not hitting my 50lb goal was a reminder that I maybe have been slacking a little more the past few weeks and I decided I will dedicate myself to the plan (see photos below of some of my prepped food!) and get that jump start in my weight loss.  

I love this photo, as it's all about finding that balance in your life.  I feel like I'm finally discovering what I need to do to remain balanced in my health, fitness, personal and work lives.

For me, part of that balance has come with sharing my story.  As you read my blogs, and see the photos that I've posted, you will see that I've really put myself out there.  If my story can help just one person then it was all worth it. Everyone has a different story, and in embracing my story over these past few months, I've been able to gain traction with my physical and emotional health.

As promised, here are those photos - this is some of my meal prep for my 3 Day Cleanse as well as my three day difference.  In the 3 days I lost 3.3lbs but more importantly notice huge changes in my body as well as how I feel.  This is Monday morning vs Thursday!

One thing I love about this cleanse is that I get to eat red peppers and red pepper hummus as my mid-afternoon snack! Something I never think to do usually, but it's tasty and refreshing.

For me, planning is key.  So you see here I have three 'sets' of everything which will get me through the three full days.  This is just some of the food I had, don't get worried!

Here is another thing I made for my cleanse - a cucumber dill salad.  I seriously love this salad so much that I plan to make it for my next social event.

The dressing is super tasty too - herbs, lemon, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and apple cider vinegar.

For later in the week I prepped some Fix-friendly burritos complete with tofu (since I don't eat chicken), multi color peppers, onions, fajita seasoning and a dash of cheese.  I wrapped them in Joseph's wraps - my absolute favorite wraps as they are low calorie, high fiber and don't fall apart when you roll them up!

I also took some time to raid my fridge for ingredients to make a veggie, pasta, ricotta bake.  I love that on the Fix ricotta counts as a protein.  I've learned that I struggle a lot with protein and healthy fats, so the Fix has given me creative ways to get those in.  Here are all the ingredients I used - eggplant, tomato, onion, green pepper, EVOO, shells, mozzarella, ricotta & Italian herbs.

Below is a collage of the prep steps.  I cut up all the veggies, cooked the pasta - then sauteed the veggies in the olive oil and mixed everything together. Before putting in a pan and topping with the two cheeses.  Needless to say, this dish was absolutely amazing. 

What I love about the Fix is that it's really simple eating, and it inspires me to cook which is something I love and it energizes me to have all these good options ready to go in the fridge. When I cook, I will portion everything out so all I have to do is literally just grab and go - being hungry with 'no options' is never an excuse!

More about me or to order any products:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

Business Website: http://www.fitandbalancedmom.com/

Contact: fitandbalancedmom@gmail.com

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Weekly Update:

This week I was up exactly 1lb.  I actually attribute this gain quite a bit to some poor choices (high in sodium) yesterday as a result of eating out for lunch.  That being said, I am confident that I will lose weight next week and I am not discouraged by the gain.  I am still down 42lbs and 42 is much more of an impact than the 1lb gain.  While I did not hit my New Years goal of 50lbs lost, I got pretty darn close in just 6 months time.   Here are my new goals both short and long term:

Short Term (end of February):

✔️ Complete all 60 Days of Insanity Max:30

✔️ Drink 75-100oz of water daily

✔️ Reach 50lb Weight Loss (minimum)

Long Term:

✔️ Hit healthy BMI by July 4th (145lbs) - a year after my journey started 

✔️ Sign up and register for a road race (thinking Manchester, but maybe one prior as well)  

✔️ Continue to motivate and inspire others to find or maintain their health by sharing my passion and story

If you enjoy my blog, I'd love to have you in my private (women only) Facebook Group dedicated to health, fitness and nutrition: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FitandHealthyPrivateGroup/ 

In other news....

In my head this photo was cuter, but my son came down with a terrible cough, runny nose and double ear infection on the 23rd hence the blurry eyes.  This was a fun spin on leaving cookies for Santa - trying to help him shed some pounds we decided to leave him Shakeology and PiYo :)

Luckily his cold didn't stop his spirit, he totally loved his first Christmas as a toddler.

Halfway through the week I got a photo from a dear friend that I've had the pleasure to coach through her weight loss journey.  She's primarily used the 21 Day Fix paired with PiYo and now is graduating to Insanity Max 30 and 'craving' her workouts! Down 50lbs and now working on toning as she's only a couple pounds from her goal!

One of my favorite Christmas gifts was this bag with my business logo on it.  I officially launch on Tuesday in two locations with a third coming in a couple weeks!  This is all so exciting, I can't wait to meet the new moms that will be coming to my expanded class offerings!

While I was pretty on track this past week, I decided to run a 3 Day cleanse to jumpstart 2015, I can't wait to be back to 'normal' eating as well as to do this with the amazing group of over 20 others who decided to join in on the cleanse with me!  I'll share my results in next week's post.

Due to the extreme interest in the cleanse, I had to buy some Shakeokogy from a fellow coach to fill the orders.  It's always good to meet up with friends 😊

More about me or to order any products:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

Business Website: http://www.fitandbalancedmom.com/

Contact: fitandbalancedmom@gmail.com

Back on Track

Weekly Update:

Well this week I got quite off track.   I did SO well last week, and I felt so great!   I had lost enough weight last week to put me into the next calorie bracket (less containers on the 21 Day Fix).  This is a good problem to have, but for me something about it started to cause me to go off the wagon.  While I wasn't eating all my containers, something mentally/emotionally struck me and the change in my routine as a result of the change in containers made me go off course.  Instead of cutting my containers down, I spent a good part of the week going completely off track and eating anything (and I literally mean ANYTHING) I could find.   It wasn't until yesterday that I decided to reach out for help from my network on my Fit & Healthy page that I realized that keeping my calories to the prior amount would actually be beneficial (oddly enough, this is advice I had given a friend but forgotten about!).   Because the lower calorie count was actually causing me to eat significantly more out of rebellion.    So all this being said, this week I wasn't surprised to be up +2.8lbs.  But I still consider it a victory given the masses of food I ate all week as well as the fact that with Thanksgiving week, I'm still DOWN over the past two weeks, and I've still had a total weight loss of over 40lbs (40.2lbs as of today).   I consider this a victory, and a reminder that sometimes you go off course, but it doesn't mean you can't pick back up again instead of staying off course.

If you enjoy my blog, I'd love to have you in my private (women only) Facebook Group dedicated to health, fitness and nutrition: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FitandHealthyPrivateGroup/ 

This quote is great, it's a reminder that you need to make a change to see change - complaining about being off track wouldn't help me, but getting back ON track will!   I actually felt so gross and lethargic this week, it was enough to scare me into wanting to eat well again!

I took the opportunity to find a non-scale victory after my weigh-in.  Instead of getting down on myself, I realized the coat I was wearing was my 'weight loss reward' coat that I purchased several week's back.  The coat was snug in the store but zipped, just a few weeks later it's feeling bigger and I'm loving what it represents.  It's nothing fancy, but it is one of those coats that goes just above your knees so I feel really good that I can zip it comfortably over my legs, hips, waist and chest with no struggle!

Some other fun things from this week, included a holiday brunch/crafts show with our mommy friends.  This get together was a reminder that we no longer have little babies!  Our first brunches last year consisted of sleeping babies, or ones that would lay on their backs on the ground while we all chatted.  Those days are long gone!  We were all running around after screaming toddlers who kept trying to do things like run up the stairs!

Going to the holiday brunch got me in the Christmas mood  (I had been avoiding decorating like a real Grinch).  We went out and got ourselves a tree and put on music and spent some time decorating it!   I actually had a lot of fun.

And on to the fitness news!   We had class again at the library, and our little Delia decided to bust into a downward dog pose.  This girl is hilarious - she is also a big fan of plank (and she's only 14 months old!)

My friend Katie also had a fun experience this week running her first 'Shake and Share' - sharing all about some of the products that have worked so well for a bunch of us mommies including Shakeology and the 21 Day Fix.  

In food news...

I saw this idea and LOVE it.  I think I have to do it for my next holiday party.  I may decorate the tree with things like cucumbers too and maybe instead of carrots put red peppers around the outside (I love red peppers), but in general I thought this was a creative and festive healthy appetizer.

I also saw this idea, and love it for work.  We have so many mason jars from various things and this is a perfect use for them.

More about me or to order any products:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

Business Website: http://www.fitandbalancedmom.com/

Contact: fitandbalancedmom@gmail.com

Refreshed

I'm so excited this week to announce a -3.6lb loss! That puts me at a 43lb total which is 3 pounds more than my goal 'loss' for the week (I had set a goal of losing 0.6lbs so I could 'hit' 40 as my running total).  I'm still marching towards a 50lb loss by New Years, which I realize is aggressive but I'll do my best!   I feel so empowered by this week's loss especially given the holiday. 

This week, I was good leading up to the holiday and then stuck within some basic guidelines for Thanksgiving dinner.  My problem was with the leftovers phase of the day. What's interesting is that I could have totally avoided the leftovers as I wasn't even thinking about them, but my cousin was staying over and made herself a plate.  So after feeling great, I decided to make plate too..then my mother remembered she forgot to put out the blueberry pie, so I had a slice (and then another) of that.  Needless to say, I had a whopping stomach ache as a result.

Friday we hit the road early in the morning for a road trip to see family in North Carolina - I've actually learned how to eat well on road trips thanks to the 21 Day Fix, so I was pretty proud of my choices during our 14 hour drive.   Then Saturday and Sunday I stayed on track and Monday-Wednesday I committed to doing the '3 Day Refresh' which was awesome - 

In light of the holidays, I wanted to share a photo I saw earlier in the week.  I absolutely love what it says.  Something I struggle with historically is throwing in the towel when I slip up, but that's the best time to get back on the saddle.   "Avoiding" reality has never made me lose weight, get stronger, or get fitter - and even worse as the time passes it makes me GAIN weight, LOSE strength and LOSE endurance.   Making progress, even if it's slow and even if it's up and down is still progress.  I'm really working on looking at the big picture this time around and hoping to make it my LAST weight loss story.

If you enjoy my blog, I'd love to have you in my private (women only) Facebook Group dedicated to health, fitness and nutrition: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FitandHealthyPrivateGroup/ 

Here is a picture of my plate on Thanksgiving.   I did go up for seconds, but for much less than what is pictured here.   What you see: green beans, twice baked potato, squash, broccoli casserole, sweet potato, carrots, quinoa stuffing (and the Turkey was for my son).  Not terrible seeing as none of the veggies had butter!

And one thing I've consistently done since starting this journey in July, is "push play".  We talk about pushing play a lot in Beachbody, and it's so simple, yet so effective.   For you it may not be 'pushing play' it may be hitting the road if you're a runner, or getting in the car if you go to a gym.  Regardless, it's that FIRST small step that is the hardest but once you make it your workout is already a success.  Not once have I pushed play then quit.  Not once have I gotten in the car to go to the gym and decided to go to a drive thru instead.  Not once have I put on my running sneakers and gotten on the pavement and turned back.  Regardless of how long or hard you go, doing something is still better than nothing.  This photo is of my teeny, tiny, mini DVD player that I bring with me literally everywhere.   Since we drove, I was also able to bring my barbell (love love love my barbell).  I did a Body Pump DVD or a 45 minute walk (or both) each and every day we were in NC.

A week (and road trip) wouldn't be complete with out my Starbucks.  I know it's not the healthiest thing, but it's what keeps me on the straight and narrow. I know I'll get my Starbucks once a day, so it keeps me from eating things off the snack table at work, or other 'treats' that pop up over the course of a day.   This photo was taken at one of our rest stops, when they decided "Kem" was a better name for me then "Kim".

Being on vacation, I had some time to go through some photos.  I love this collage I created as it really explains my journey.  The photo on the left is of me waterskiing a few years after college.  It's a bit blurry, but I have a huge grin on my face.  This photo was taken after a 60 pound weight loss. I had been overweight my entire childhood and lost 60 pounds in college on Weight Watchers.   Fast forward to the middle photo, I was 2 months away from giving birth to the best gift in the world.  During my pregnancy I thought it meant I could eat whatever I wanted - despite what the doctors told me.  I don't know how much I gained during my pregnancy, but in the months that followed I continued those terrible habits with my sleep depravation and stress.   Then this summer, when I tried to ski in July I couldn't get up. It tore me apart.  Even at my heaviest as a child, I was always able to ski, but with pregnancy/post pregnancy gain I had put on so much weight that my body literally got in the way and I couldn't get small enough to get my hands on the rope with a good grip.   In the water, teary eyed and angry, I vowed to lose 20 pounds and get up on my skis by the end of the summer.  So on my son's first birthday, we went up and I gave it my all.  I was down 22lbs and determined.   The photo on the right is me skiing on that day - this was my first goal and the most important that I've hit so far in this journey to shed 100 pounds.

In food news, I shared that this week I did what's called the 3 Day Refresh. I've done this 3 times so far and love it.  It involves a combination of nutrient dense shakes as well as real foods (but no animal proteins) and is done over the course of 3 days to reset your body.  I love how I feel on it (although this round I had a bit of a caffeine withdrawal), and I love how I feel after.  I spent Sunday doing a little meal prep and here is my food for the 3 days!

I ended the week with another great victory - wrapping a 'small' beach towel all the way around my waist.  For those of you who have struggled with weight, you will understand just how huge of an accomplishment this is.  

More about me or to order any products:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

Business Website: http://www.fitandbalancedmom.com/

Contact: fitandbalancedmom@gmail.com