Things to Be Proud Of

Weekly Update: Sooooo this week I am not super proud of my food choices, I was a little under the weather and when that happens my body sort of rejects anything but carby foods.  What I AM proud of is that I made a conscious choice to try to keep them higher quality carbs 80% of the time.   That being said I am up 1.2lbs for a current total of 71.1lbs.

Just because my food wasn't great, I didn't miss a workout!!  A few mornings there I was NOT happy about it (see second photo), but I did it anyway, and of course I'm always happy when I do!

I even got to do a super fun workout with just some of the leaders on my team of coaches (there are more, but not everyone could make it!)   We went to a spa (yep, that's right!) for the day for team building, relaxation and a group workout!

Here we are before lunch!

And the best team meeting ever - in robes outside by the fountain!

I mean, really? THIS is my life - no complaints whatsoever....

Oh wait, THIS is my life too - this little guy is my  heart and soul and my WHY for doing everything I do day in and day out.

One food photo from the week..and it's not even the entire meal (I ate most of it!).  I've been switching things up and having eggs for breakfast - yum!

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/

Find me on YouTube!  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjzh-8_DCDzaC77CKbIAmMg 

If you'd like to work with me as your coach, create a free account:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

Mommy & Me Website: http://www.fitandbalancedmom.com/

Contact: fitandbalancedmom@gmail.com

Spring!!

Weekly Update:   This week I am up 2.7lbs for a total of 72.3lbs.  But I'm not too surprised and I actually am pretty sure I really lost weight this week.  Why? Last night I went out to dinner, and when I eat out I pretty much always retain 3-4lbs of fluid from the sodium.  I also felt pretty aware of my food choices this week so at a minimum it may be a 'maintain'.  I am feeling like I'm in more control of my  nutrition which is nice (I had been at like 60% on point, now I'm closer to 75% - 80% which is my overall goal).  But more than that in proud that seeing the jump today doeant cause me the same anxiety it used to years ago.  I know it's probably not 'real' but even if it was, I'm still on the right path and still continue to move forward. 

And check this out! I pushed all Winter through the dark and cold and now it's LIGHT out for my morning workouts! 

I am excited because I took my 1 month photos from using 22 Minute Hard Corps - at first I saw no changes, but I let a few days pass and I really DO see them.   I only wonder what I'd look like had I been even better with my nutrition! But no sense in dwelling on it.  What I love most - check out my face in the after photos - I feel like I look a LOT less tired. 

This is a favorite - my upper thighs and back totally changed!

For anyone who's seen my morning workouts  - I need to stress it is NOT always easy. I do NOT always want to get up, but I AM always grateful.  For me the 'magic' hour is 5:30am which lets me get some personal ME time in during and after my workout, but for you it may be a different time of day.

Here you'll see a very real timeline of when I get up, to when I start to get moving, I drink my morning energize and then when I'm done - what a HUGE change for not even a full hour total difference. 

Here I am post workout enjoying my ME time!

And then, after my workout, my time to read and relax - I GET to do this.  I sometimes want to pinch myself when I realize how cool it is that I get to do this.  I get to snuggle with my little guy at 9am when I would normally have been at work.  I am so grateful that I discovered this amazing opportunity to help myself get healthy, help others and be a more present mom along the way. 

Speaking of moms!  We had a great Mommy & Me play date with some of my favorite women. I met these moms when my son was only 2 weeks old - we are all so very different, but have bonded over our little ones.  I am so grateful to have them in my life over 2 years later.

Just one food photo - a quick meal I had the other day and it was super tasty! Avocado, sprouted grain English muffin and a veggie patty!

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/

Find me on YouTube!  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjzh-8_DCDzaC77CKbIAmMg 

If you'd like to work with me as your coach, create a free account:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

Mommy & Me Website: http://www.fitandbalancedmom.com/

Contact: fitandbalancedmom@gmail.com

Just Keep Swimming!

Weekly Update:  Just keep swimming.  That will be my new motto. I'm sort of in wishy washy land for some reason the past few weeks.   My mood is a TON better, but I've been feeling sort of lethargic and just 'off' - not sure why but it's making me feel apathetic to my journey.  What's nuts to me is that it's taken almost 2 years to have a patch like this - and I KNOW that pushing through it is key.  I made the decision to try to keep the balance of foods but up my portions a little bit this past week and I think it's helping and the scale seems to be staying pretty much the same which is nice - I'm actually really excited to be down 1.1lbs this week despite the extra eating for a current total of 75lbs!!

So as always, I like to start with a reminder of how far I have come.  Does't matter where you are, we all have Day 1's.   You can see it in my face, I look like I'm about to cry - I wore all black, trying to hide my body. I was certainly in denial, but either way I STARTED.  The key to any level of success is starting. 

I'd like to say my big WHY was originally this little guy, and it surely was a PART of my WHY.  But the biggest why for me was something silly. I was sitting in the Lake in NH where I have waterskiied since I was 7 years old, no matter my size or physical strength.   

The first thing I asked my doctor when I was pregnant "but I can still ski, right?" - of course she said no!  

Sitting in that water at 240 pounds trying to ski, I failed and failed and failed.  I cried, I screamed and I decided enough was enough.

I wanted to LIVE.  And that didn't mean breath. That meant live and enjoy my life.

My first goal was to be able to water ski again, and at 220 pounds, I accomplished it.  What's funny is I was still 20 pounds heavier than any prior  "heaviest", but that feeling of being able to SKI gave me so much joy, and enough power to move on to hit more goals.   

As I progressed on my journey, I realized my WHY was much deeper. My WHY became this little guy - the reason I push forward now on a daily basis.  To show him that I value my life and my health and to be able to  play and run with him instead of being tired all the time.

This photo means so much to me, you may not have noticed it, but on my shirt is a logo of an adult with a child - this is my logo for my Mommy & Me teaching business.  Why this makes me smile is whenever my son sees this logo on my car, a shirt, a bag - he points and says: That's Mommy and Ben teaching class!!

In addition to being able to live my life again, I've discovered so  many other opportunities since becoming a coach.  I've discovered the GOOD in people.   I've discovered community.   Here I am at an event where 1,000 individuals of all sizes and abilities came to workout and listen to an extremely motivating speaker, Shaun T.  You may not know much about him, but beyond his workouts he is insanely good at speaking and motivating.   I'd say the best part of this event was the ability to hear his words of wisdom.

The photo above and below are just a sampling of the mom's on my coaching team. I  am proud to say that we have all undergone significant mental and physical transformations while also helping others along the way.   

This is another mom, but one that I've known since the day I was born.   This photo means a LOT to me.  This particular friend was the epitome of 'skinny fat' for years - she refused to workout, said she was weak and just never made time for it.  I was able to convince her to try the 21 Day program, with me as her coach and now she told me she can't go more than a few days without working out because it makes her FEEL so good!

So why does this photo mean so much?   Her family slept over (with their 2 year old son) this weekend, and Saturday night she asked 'ok, Kimmy, so what time are we working out in the morning?' When I said 5:15am she didn't even flinch!  

And here are our little guys enjoying some grilled corn!

And one of my all time favorites - butternut squash pizza crust loaded with veggies (an invention I made a few months back during a cauliflower shortage).

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/

Find me on YouTube!  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjzh-8_DCDzaC77CKbIAmMg 

If you'd like to work with me as your coach, create a free account:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

Mommy & Me Website: http://www.fitandbalancedmom.com/

Contact: fitandbalancedmom@gmail.com

Stage Time!

Weekly Update:  Struggling.  That is the best word for my past week.  Lots of great things have happened but a lot of emotionally draining things compiling and making my heart hurt basically.  I tend to hold in a lot from those around me and get very upset when others are upset, and internalize it.  And if their 'upset' is remotely related to me it just tears me up.  So that being said, I'm PROUD of myself for saying this out loud because this week I had lots of 'why am I even doing this' feelings - and I KNOW logically that's silly, I know I am so happy and that my life is so much more fulfilling than it's ever been, but sometimes that mental space really eats you up.

Somehow this week despite it all I'm down .9lbs for a current total of 73.9lbs.  Just keep swimming!

So that brings me to THIS photo.  So much of what we read about others or see on social media is so positive so 'perfect' like these huge diamond earrings! Except they are NOT real!  My point here, what you see is what people want you to see, and it can eat you up if you're not careful.  I try to be open and honest because I want others to know, no one is perfect and what you 'see' is usually not even half of the picture.  

I said I had a hard week, but I also had a great set of experiences, like right here being pulled up on stage in front o f 400 people to be recognized for losing over 50 pounds.   These four women (and a fifth not shown in the photo) are all a part of my team of coaches, we have coached each other while helping others along the way.  What you don't see is that in a room of 400 people, we are 4 of 8 that got called up for having lost over 50 pounds. I am SO PROUD to be part of such an amazing team that has seen so much amazing success on their own journeys while also helping others along the way.

What's interesting about this particular event (I am on the leadership council for our region that runs them quarterly), is that I got to get up on stage THREE times.  Twice I spoke, the third was for the recognition above.    When I started this journey close to two years ago, I remember starting to get this 'itch' to present at one of these events. I remember 'applying' to share my journey and not getting selected, it really bummed me out.  But then I saw a space on the leadership council and thought I WANT THAT.  So I went for it.  I have been on the council about a year now, and this is my fifth time speaking in front of a group ranging from 30-400 people. 

Every time I speak, I get more and more comfortable with it.   My 'big' goal is to one day speak in front of the 500,000 coaches in our organization and from there maybe actually do some additional public/motivational speaking.    Goals are what propel us forward, and sharing them is what helps make them possible. 

Speaking of which, my first goal was to finish the first fitness and nutrition program that I purchased two years ago.   My goal was to manage 21 days without slipping up.  And I DID IT.    Since then I have learned I can do anything for a month, two months or even three.  I love the variety of the programs, I love that I get paid to be healthy and set a good example.    Getting up isn't always easy but I have people WAITING for me to get up so they are motivated to get up too.  No matter how hard my days are, I have to keep moving forward because I have created this group of amazing women who would notice if I disappeared.  If you are one of those women, THANK YOU.

I like to scroll through old photos when I am getting down about things - could be an emotional 'down' or just feeling like I haven't made progress, or feeling like my food is out of control.   This photo on the left was taken literally just a week or two before I decided to commit to change, so it represents my absolute highest weight.  I remember being so uncomfortable in my skin.  I look at my smile then and my smile now..and beyond the 'physical' changes, I am so much more happy and COMFORTABLE. I use the word comfortable in two ways.  I am comfortable because clothes fit and I am not self conscious but also because my body is literally COMFORTABLE. I remember laying in bed at night feeling the rolls of my neck smother my chin.  I remember noticing it, but trying to pretend it wasn't there.  I remember walking and feeling fat touching fat, sweating in places that didn't need to sweat.   I noticed, but I ignored it. 

I don't have that anymore. I am literally just physically more comfortable. 

Food news is short this week! I have been doing some great crock pot meals (my new favorite some tomatoes, onions, garlic, italian herbs, a little pasta, peppers and onions in a crock pot and add the protein to it when I reheat depending on my mood!).

But here is one thing I've been great about prepping and my son has been in love with too! My ShakO/Coconut Oil cups.  they totally hit the spot when all I want to do is dive head first into a bowl of m&ms.

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/

Find me on YouTube!  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjzh-8_DCDzaC77CKbIAmMg 

If you'd like to work with me as your coach, create a free account:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

Mommy & Me Website: http://www.fitandbalancedmom.com/

Contact: fitandbalancedmom@gmail.com

Hoppy Easter!

Weekly Update:  This week was a struggle again, but as of Monday I decided to recommit.  My husband is supporting me and has promised to do a round of the 21 Day Fix, so I figured why not do 21 days again (this will be the third time I've 'fully' committed to the 21 Day Fix and I'm excited to see how I feel at the end). So far it's going great and more than any 'weight' I could lose I FEEL much better.  I was up quite a bit but as of Monday to today I'm down 3.6 for my current total of 72lbs!

On that note! I wanted to start with some fun before and afters!  My hair!   I got super fed up with it the other day (I get it cut very simply every 6 months or so) and decided to chop it all off!! I love how easy it is and it doesn't scratch my neck.    Also, I should do another 'after' because after both of these were taken I started doing some intense moisturizing (having the flu and traveling totally tried my skin out), and now my face is back to normal!

Here's one of my many 5:30am photos for a private group I run where we all get up and get our sweat on before our days start.   I am exhausted, as you can see, but I'm also happy  - happy because I know there are others doing it at the same time as me in their homes and excited to share my 'after' photo in the group.

This is just one example of the types of things my morning group does - funny challenges!   We do all sorts of silly things, but this particular one was to wear sunglasses during or after the workout - we got some funny ones.

Here I am wearing a shirt I got for free for being a coach (I love all the fun perks of coaching, in addition to obviously coaching). For some reason the workout was even better having the official Hard Corps tank on!

Another morning post for my Morning Warriors.

And here was a a challenge I did after realizing more and more of the women in my general wellness group have been struggling on water (myself included). It's amazing the 'power' of a challenge!

My mom surprised me with these this week - baby weights!  I will be teaching my summer Mommy & Me Boot Camp series coming up and these are a perfect addition to class for the little ones.  Ben has his own 'set' and immediately said 'my weights! like mommy!!' - melts my heart.

Speaking of Ben - we had some nice lazy days this week - something that's hard for me to do is just sit at home and enjoy simple things.  I'm constantly finding 'things' for us to do - forgetting how fun simple things like STICKERS can be!

Food News:   I decided to rifle through my fridge for some foods instead of going crazy at the grocery store and came up with this - pasta, peppers, garlic, tomato sauce (homemade), spinach, Italian herbs, onion and pepper flakes.  SO GOOD.

And paired with Easter Eggs it's my lunch for the week!

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/

Find me on YouTube!  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjzh-8_DCDzaC77CKbIAmMg 

If you'd like to work with me as your coach, create a free account:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

Mommy & Me Website: http://www.fitandbalancedmom.com/

Contact: fitandbalancedmom@gmail.com

Reality Post!

Weekly Update! No weigh in this week - focusing on moving forward!

I am starting a new program - so I took new before photos!  I decided to wear the tiniest shorts I own because I intend on having them look much better in 8 weeks!   So here it is - my post cruise, post flu before shot!

And while I say it doesn't matter where I am coming from, I do like to  remember that  this mentality has gotten me so far both on a physical level but also with the ability to continue to move on. I know I had posted in the last blog, I totally enjoyed my cruise and do not regret it at all, but it's time to move on and get myself back into feeling good and energetic!

I love to use post-its on my workout programs because quite honestly I am Type A and HATE to have mark ups  on my calendars!   Plus it's fun and colorful!

I got this out of storage too after talking to someone the other night - a jump rope!  I am not very coordinated but I plan to start using it a little each day.

I had the flu for a good 4 days, so I wasn't able to really spend too much time with my little guy, but the time we did spend was fun!

This guy really is my why.  This is a photo take of the two of us during one of our Mommy & Me Pilates classes.  He is a very big part of the class and we talk a lot about how he 'helps mommy teach' - he's my reason for all of this.

My husband is awesome - I was so sick and we really had very few groceries yet he managed to pull together two GREAT meals for me for the week for dinners and lunches.   These butternut squash and

spinach stuffed shells (sooo good)...

and a butternut squash mach and cheese that I've been eating with a veggie burger for some extra protein!

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/

Find me on YouTube!  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjzh-8_DCDzaC77CKbIAmMg 

If you'd like to work with me as your coach, create a free account:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

Mommy & Me Website: http://www.fitandbalancedmom.com/

Contact: fitandbalancedmom@gmail.com