My Blog List

  • - Fill out my online form. There are tons of Wufoo features to help make your forms awesome.
    7 years ago

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Thankful!

In light of Thanksgiving, I have decided to share some 'exposed' photos of myself.  I'm typically a very modest person, but I thought it was important to share these photos as a reminder to everyone out there that you CAN do it.   

If you are following my journey, you know prior to having my son I was extremely fit, weighing in at 130 pounds and running half marathons, hiking mountains, teaching 2-3 fitness classes a day.  You name it, I did it!   This fitness came after a 60 pound weight loss in college after being overweight my entire childhood.   When I became 'fit' in college, I was always looking to lose that extra pound, never satisfied.   Having never been fit before, I guess I didn't quite know how to be thankful for where I was.   

Fast forward, a baby, lack of sleep, stress, and full attention to my son's health, I regained that 60 pounds, plus 40 more over the course of a year.   The past 5 month's I've been chipping away at my goals day by day and really being Thankful for the person I am becoming.  There is no looking back, only looking forward.

These photos show a lot more skin then I'm typically comfortable with, but I am sharing them in hopes to inspire at least one person. You can do it, you aren't alone, and you have support!  What's interesting about these photos is that my current "after" is at the weight I started my original weight loss journey at in college.  Yet, I've never been so comfortable and proud of my body.   

I have carried a baby for almost a year in this body.  

I have used this body to care for my son. 

I have fought to regain strength for this body.  

I am PROUD of what this body can do that it couldn't 5 months ago.  

I am here for you, through Mommy & Me classes, through personal 1:1 conversations, through private accountability groups.  My goal is to help other Mother's find Balance in their health regardless of where they are starting, where they used to be, or what they are hoping to accomplish!


  • - 39.4lbs
  • -37.5 inches
Looking forward to the next 40lbs!


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/ 



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

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




Thursday, November 13, 2014

Courage & Conviction

Weekly Update:  This week is an exciting one.  I am down 1.8lbs this week, but that's not what i am excited about.  What's so exciting is the fact that I'm UNDER 200.   Now, this might not seem like a huge accomplishment for those who have never weighed more than 200 pounds, but believe me - it is extremely empowering and feels like I'm getting closer to 'normal people fat' if that makes sense!   I still have a ways to go, but wahoo, even with holidays upon us I'm under 200! My goal is to never get over 200 again (unless I end up pregnant with triplets at some point!).   My new total is 37.2 pounds.   I am very close to where I was in college weight wise when I started my first weight loss journey.  At that point, I had been overweight my entire life, and went to Weight Watchers for the first time weighing in at 190.6lbs (a number I will never forget).  Over the course of 18 months, I crept my weight down to 130.0 flat.   In my head, once I get back to 190.6 I KNOW I can continue because it's a battle I already fought and won once.   I am so close to that starting point and feel so proud of myself for the 37.2 that I've already lost.  I have been the most mentally clear over this journey than ever before with my weight loss in prior years.  I feel 'level' for once.  I owe a lot of that to the way the 21 Day Fix has made me think about food, I no longer starve myself to 'save' up for big meals and I never really feel deprived either.   I also have such a different perspective on weight, weight loss and goals this time around.  I have an amazing support system through my Facebook Group (Fit & Healthy - a group for women) that motivate me on a daily basis to continue with my journey.


I loved this quote, I think I snagged it from someone's Instagram.  Really, it doesn't matter where I got it just that I did!  It says a lot for where I am in my life right now.  I have been searching for years (since maybe  I was a junior in high school looking at colleges and having to pick my career path at the age of 17).   We all struggle with this, I'm sure (except maybe a few lucky ducks out there).   I went on a retreat on an island off of Boston Harbor in college called "Halftime" that was dedicated to Sophomores finding the right fit for themselves in the future.  While, at the time, I didn't really know what to do with the information I was learning, it always stuck with me.  At this point I was still pushing 200 pounds and had been since I was about 13.  I had never found the 'fit' me, I had never seen what being strong could do for my body and soul.   What stuck with me from this conference was three questions they kept asking us to answer:

1. What brings you joy?
2. What are you good at?
3. What do people need you to do?

These questions I find to be so powerful.  Think about them, think about your current job and think about how you would answer these questions.  I think most of us settle for two of the three, often tomes the latter two.   The third one obviously is most aimed at the making a living aspect of your career choice.  I may be excellent at flicking pennies and it may bring me joy, but if no one needs me to do it I'll have a really hard time making a living, right?   I challenge you to think about these three questions, as I have almost daily from the day I left that retreat.   I am still working to find my answers, but as I embark on my new endeavor as "Fit and Balanced Mom" I am getting closer and closer to that goal.   What brings me joy in life is helping others - in any aspect that I have knowledge I love to help others. I am motivated by helping others establish and reach their goals (and not just in fitness & health - if I have knowledge that can help someone, I am the first to be a helping hand).   What I am passionate about, however, is fitness and health.  I have had a long and not always easy journey.  I have been fat. I have been fit.  I have been 'fat fit' (fat but strong) and I have been just plain old fat.   I have had motivation, and I have lacked motivation.  I have lost weight and gained it. I have run half marathons and hiked countless mountains, but I have also struggled to get up off the floor due to excess weight on my joints.   It is all of these experiences and how I have overcome them that give me the knowledge and passion to help others in their health and fitness goals.   And I truly believe that I am good at it.   I am genuine and patient and non judgmental.   


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 light of all this, I want to remind each and every one of my readers one thing.  Regardless of your challenges, goals or struggles YOU MATTER.   That is the number one thing you need to remember.   You matter, and you deserve it.    I love this photo, from a summer camp friend of mine running an amazing project (Look for the Good) reminding people to find gratitude in their day.  Take a minute to remind yourself that YOU MATTER, once you can accept that you have the power to do anything.




I'd also like to take a few minutes to touch on my week this week.  One of the most exciting parts of it was attending Bikram Yoga at my favorite studio in Downtown Hartford.   This studio is where I found lot of my inner strength in the year leading up to my pregnancy.   On a whim (after trying Bikram here and there a few times), I decided to buy a Groupon for a new local studio.   I bought it with friends, which made me more likely to actually go.  I started going slowly here and there (it was a 3 month membership that I purchased), then after about 4 or 5 classes something clicked in me, and I started to crave that hot room and the 90 minutes of open eyed meditation.  For those of you that know me, you know I am always moving, thinking and doing. I can't sit still to save my life.  For this Yoga always irks me.  I'm sorry to admit it because I know how many benefits there are to yoga, but I just can't relax enough to feel the benefits.  Something is different with Bikram.  Maybe it's the heat or the sweat, but it forces me to find that inner calm and push myself.   It's just me and my body when I'm in class.  What I loved about it when I was going regularly (eventually 5-7 times a week at my peak) was that every day my body brought me different treasures.  Every day I could do something different that the day before seemed impossible.  I saw that progress and built up confidence along the way.   While I'm still working to find the time to fit in the 2.5 hours on a more regular basis (90 minute class, much needed shower and 20 minute commute each way), it was nothing short of a delight to fit in class this past weekend.



And a quick update on my beloved new LLC - here is one of our Spring/Summer sites, and as you can see, my little guy is a total explorer enjoying his surroundings!


Every day something new happens that brings me more excitement.  I am trying to quite the voice in my head that feels overwhelmed here and there, and engage the one that gives me those butterflies in my stomach when I make a new step towards my goal.   Here are my new business cards, complete with my wonderful logo made by a close childhood friend.   I feel so fortunate!




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


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






Thursday, November 6, 2014

Plan, Plan, Plan!

Well here it is!   

Weekly update:  I keep doing this on again off again thing where I am good, then get confident and lose momentum by having one cheat too many.  This week with Halloween I was pretty nervous because I went off course way more than anticipated.  I wasn't surprised this week when I went up 0.6lbs.  I'm actually pretty happy with that gain (it's the biggest gain I've had since starting this journey which is also pretty cool). I consider it close to a maintain and I am back on track this week starting today - I usually allow myself some 'fun' on weigh in days, but today I kept it to my daily latte treat and didn't go overboard.   My total is still over 35, and I'm excited to see how next week goes!

Here's this week's post...

With the holidays ahead I'm really trying to map out a plan.  I do best with a plan and it gives me an easy way to succeed.  Most importantly, it will keep me from feeling discouraged during the upcoming holidays.  

I plan to be realistic in my planning so that I don't set myself up for 'perfection' which will inevitably result in failure and discouragement (I mean, who can be 100% perfect over the holidays?!). By being realistic and consistent I am setting myself up for less stress and more success!  

So here goes, here's my plan: 

🔹 Between the holidays follow the 80/20 rule, which means I'll follow healthy habits 80% of the time but allow for the potential of up to 20% of cheating. My cheating is generally one latte a day as a 'treat' which keeps me on track the rest of the day.

🔹 Each holiday (Thanksgiving, New Years, Christmas), allow myself to cheat up to 80% of the day while still being healthy 20% of the day.  For example, don't skip my workouts even if I eat poorly! I'm ok with this as its only 3 days of the next 2 months.

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 will be my motto when sticking to my plan despite the temptation of cookies and other holiday treats!  I posted this exactly a year ago about becoming a parent, and it's only fitting that a year later it describes my health and fitness journey.


I've recently been on a bit of a rampage on Facebook and Instagram, and posts like this truly inspire me.  This woman, also a mother, decided she needed to make a change in her life.  Thanks to Shakeology, her Beachbody Coach and the 21 Day Fix she's lost over 100 pounds, 90 of which were in her first 9 months!  This is a reminder that I can see the same success!


I do this through keeping myself accountable, through this blog, my Facebook page and my workout calendars like this one.  It's nothing fancy, but it does the trick! I put a post it on each workout day - I hate having blank days so it keeps me honest with my workouts!


In other news, I'm beyond excited for this month's Beachbody challenge pack!  Beachbody has paired PiYo with the 3 Day Refresh (one of my favorite products along with the 21 Day Fix and Shakeology), and Shakeology.   Here are some more details, but I'm always happy to answer specific questions as well.  Please be sure to email me or use my link below if you are interested!

Here's what it includes: 

🔹 PiYo: A Pilates & Yoga infused workout program.  Gets your heart pumping and muscles working to tone with no impact.  Think: Functional Flexibility!  This program is great for literally everyone.
🔹 3 Day Refresh: A 3 day cleanse which incorporates real foods.
🔹 Shakeology: A nutrient packed drink full of natural super foods, amino acids, proteins, prebiotics and probiotics.
🔹 Personalized support and accountability with me as your coach.



While I had some major slip ups (mainly a few terrible meals at restaurants), I also had some good decisions this week.  Below are two of my favorites.   The first one is a 'protein bistro box' from Starbucks.  If you know me, you know I'm obsessed with Starbucks, so while I was there for my afternoon latte and eyeing the cake pops in starvation, I saw this gem in the refrigerator.  Best part is that it was totally 21 Day Fix appropriate!


And then there was this one, also 21 Day Fix appropriate - a yummy salad with Thyme Vinegarette. 


And now for the MOST EXCITING news.   It's officially official!  I got word from the Secretary of State, I'm an LLC!!!  Here is a sneak peak at my logo and workout wear.  Classes are currently running Tuesday nights and soon to be on Friday mornings as well!  This is happening!