Birthday!

Double post today since it took me a week to publish the Nashville edition.  I'm feeling super proud of my time in Nashville and my fitness and nutrition choices.

This week celebrates my birthday, and I have several planned indulgences - but more than anything just loved every second of seeing my son again. 

He made cake for me with my mom and we have been eating it every day - no regrets!

I took a few days off after the conference in Nashville and travel to catch up on sleep, but on Tuesday got right back to my fitness.  What a better way to start my birthday?!

The best part is I got to have a sleepover with my son (he woke up hysterical about a bug in his bed and we actually did find an ant!) so I figured why not? So I slept in until 7, and my husband was able to go into work a little late so I could still get my workout in!

We celebrated my birthday dinner a day early, going to my favorite restaurant - I've gone every year on my birthday the last 8 years!

Here's my birthday dinner 2 years ago, just 3 weeks into my journey.

I also wanted to include this photo of one of my classes this week. I sat back in awe as I taught thinking of how far I have come in my life.  Making my career out of health after spending the majority of my life obese.

It's never too late to change your 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/

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/

Nashville!

Super excited about my trip to Nashville for work - yep, I get to come to Nashville with my closest friends all as a part of my 'job' if you can call something you love so much work (I love my job).

But it didn't come without lots of snuggles from my little guy - I said goodbye to him a day before I left as he was headed to visit Nana and Pa with Daddy!

And then it was my turn!!  Here's one of my very first Team Members - we were the only ones on my team to attend last year... Now my team is up to 100 and there are seven of us here - next year there'll be even more!

I am looking forward to some rejuvenation during this trip.  Since the miscarriage I've been struggling a lot with some basics including going back to biting my nails and being inconsistent with flossing.  I took the trip as an opportunity to get my nails done and start fresh.  It just feels so good to have that mental commitment to bettering me.

The second my feet hit TN soil my excitement flew through the roof.  We picked up our recognition medals and lasses for various live workouts (yep, we get to workout with the actual trainers from the fitness programs).

And then as we waited for the team to get in, we started with a Team Workout streamed on the iPad through the hotel gym - country dancing anyone?!

And here it is, all cleaned up, half the team exploring the city!

And the whole team in one of the many amazing trainings we got to participate in!

And of course... Group workouts! Why I love this community - you are never alone - there is every shape, size, gender, age, ethnicity and we are all happy and working on our health. 

Post workout!

The weekend also had some fun - complete with a Billy Idol concert decked out in 80s garb!

One of the things that really hit me was the saying 'be unapologetically you' - meaning by being me the world does get value - but only if I'm me and not trying to be someone else.  So each day I work on being me, and being proud of it. 

Here's something I'm super proud of - I got to get in front of 30,000 other coaches and be recognized for a level of leadership in our organization.  When guy love what you do, the recognition follows 💕

And visiting Shaun T 😂

This is a screen shot taken from a video of our super workout - we shut down Broadway Street in Nashville and did an hour long workout.  This part really hit me.   A year ago I saw another coach do this move and I thought 'I won't ever be able to do that'. But then one day I tried it, and here I am a year later and the simple act of trying got me to where I can not only do it, but well!

We did so many other things, but summing it up with my food news!

Lots of drinking Shakeolgy 😜

Making it in the room was so easy with the immersion blender!

And we packed lunches each day - veggie burger, veggies and hummus on a wrap.  And did you know you can cook corn in the husk in a microwave?!

Oh yeah, more Shakeology!

Another hotel trick... Scrambled eggs in the microwave! We put tomatoes, chives and eggs in a container and microwaved every 30 seconds scrambling it until it was cooked.

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/

Time to Chisel

Weekly Update: I decided last week enough was enough of 'vacation mode' - I took new photos, and a weight (didn't look but I sent to a fellow coach friend for accountability) and measurements.   I have noticed my strength has gone down the last 3 weeks, and I'm ready to be back to me.   My push ups are now on my knees, but I know by the end of the next 30 days, I'll be back to my normal push ups!!

In the mean time, I'm not letting myself get down about it.  Here is a reminder (same dress) of how much my body has changed in the last 3 years!

And here is a reminder how my life has changed.  Because of coaching, I get to spend my days with THIS guy - something never in a million years did I imagine.

So here is one of the photos I took- not happy about it, but I WILL get my strong arms back.

Food is prepped, which means I'm serious! Unfortunately our fridge broke just hours after all this prep - luckily we have a few other spaces to put the food (helloooo mini fridge).  So far this week has been GREAT!

Here is a favorite that I hadn't made in a while - butternut squash crust pizza - delish!

And this was a last minute make once I saw we had TONS of beans!  Beans (3 varieties), onion, tomato, salt, pepper, oil and vinegar - SO GOOD!

I made these with my son - it was his request, we actually made them TWICE this week.  Totall healthy pumpkin muffins.

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/

Home Sweet Home

Weekly Update: We ended vacation this weekend and came home - the last day of vacation I told my little guy I would let him workout with me at 5:30am.  We had a 'sleepover' - I slept in his room at the cabin and told him when the sun came up to wake me up - and he did! At 5:26am I hear 'morning mommy, it's workout time!' So we packed up and crossed the yard to go to the attic of the garage.   Here we are post workout!

Then we hit the boat for one more trip on the lake - we had planned to waterski, but decided not to once we got on the boat and realized it was raining.   I am still super happy about our week - being able to waterski with no issue and being able to help my son waterski for the first time is totally priceless.

While my nutrition wasn't perfect on vacation (and actually was pretty crummy), I am proud of myself for not missing a workout and for really focusing on my time with this guy.  

Some fun news when I got home - I got my certification renewal in the mail for my personal trainer certification.  While I coach as my main job, I love to teach fitness classes and help others through in person training as well - getting this renewal was exciting!

I also got home to some great goodies from the company I coach for.  They never cease to amaze me - my husband and I both finished fitness programs last month and submitted our photos.  Just for submitting we received t-shirts, a cookbook and a 'performance line' sampler.  I also got my "1 Star" tank top which signifies a significant promotion in my coaching business.

Once we got back it was time for a serious food overhaul.  My food hasn't been perfect since being back, but it's been MUCH better. I started with some stuffed shells using basil from the garden, rice I cooked up and some sauce I had made and frozen before we left.

Then with the leftover basil I made fresh pesto!

This was an experiment 'inside out stuffed shells' - spinach, butternut squash, eggs, ricotta and mini shells in a casserole dish - delish!

Here's the finished product of the shells!

And of course, my week and days would never be complete without this amazing superfood drink!

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

Vacation!

Weekly Update: No update this week on weight, intentionally - but I will still give an update!   So this week we are in NH for our family vacation which makes for a lot of fun.   I decided early on (before vacation) that I was going to let myself indulge in food, but not skip workouts.

I have a few observations.   First one, some foods are worth indulging in (my favorite ice cream sandwiches) and some are totally not (chips!).    Second one, I LOVE my morning workouts, and actually even on vacation prefer to do them at 5:30am.   This may sound crazy, but especially as a mom, I feel like at 5:30am I have no distractions and nothing else I could possibly be doing  - but when I sleep in (my husband was awesome and let me sleep to 8am a few days), I feel rushed and like I missed out on my ME time.

For me it's about the workout but also the half hour I get after just to relax and enjoy the post workout bliss.

That being said, I have LOVED vacation.  The above photo is of my son and I on our first day - I taught him how to waterski (while holding him the entire time) which brought me SO much joy.  It may sound silly, but my original reason for starting my weight loss journey 2 years ago was because I tried to waterski, something I've done my entire life, and was too big to get up.

I wish I could say it was originally to be a good example for my son, but it was actually selfishly because I couldn't do something in life I loved.

What makes me so happy about THIS year is that not only could I ski, but I also could teach my son to ski  - and he wanted to because he has grown up WATCHING me do it!

This photo above is a non scale victory I had while doing my workout one morning of vacation.  I saw some muscles in my leg I've never seen before! My food may be wishy washy this past week, but I am still strong!

I also wasn't all bad with choices, I stuck to my morning banana and Shakeology - my absolute favorite breakfast!

Now here's to a great week of getting back in my habit post vacation!

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

Finding Me Again

Weekly Update: I did it! I did a solid 3 weeks of ME to get my self back to feeling like me. It had nothing to do with weight, and everything to do with emotional healing, but I did of course see physical changes too.   I worked out every day for 30 minutes, and I ate clean foods (but a lot of them!!!)  I  lost 4.8 pounds, 13.5 inches and gained my smile back.

I culminated the 3 weeks with a 5K with some of the moms from my Couch to 5K running program.   I am a health and wellness coach, but also teach group fitness to local moms (boot camp, running, pilates).   It was so hot, but we did it!  I gave my son the medal when we got home, he earned it for 'helping me teach' class for 10 weeks (he was my little cheer leader to the various moms as we would run).    The day of my miscarriage, I took him to class but didn't run since I was not yet sure what was happening.    We stood on the sidelines, and he cheered and gave high 5's to each of the moms.   It was a wonderful day despite the sadness.

This sums up how I feel about my job.   I get to help people, particularly moms, while also living a healthy and fullfilling life myself.

I used to daydream about being able to really love what I did - but then my practical mind always got in the way.  I'm glad I let myself leap, and so grateful for my husband for having faith in me.

Having just completed a 'solid' 3 weeks of the program that changed my life, I wanted to look back and see what my first results looked like.   

I dedicated 3 weeks of my life almost exactly 2 years ago.  I had no idea what to expect, little did I know that 2 years later I'd be a full time coach helping others reach their goals while continuing to reach my own.  Little did I know that the same program that helped me lose 75 pounds would also help me emotionally deal with the pain after a miscarriage.   

I am seriously grateful every single day.

One of the things I am grateful for these days is that my flexible schedule allows me to spend every other Thursday with my grandmother, and my son's great grandmother (he is lucky enough to have two great grandmothers!).   She is still living in her own house, and is moving around as good as could be expected for a 90 year old woman.    I never want to take for granted this time I have with her and am so grateful that twice a month we get to have a luncheon with 4 generations. 

Food news!    Back to food prep.  This is an easy staple in the house - I always have all the ingredients so it's super easy to pull together.    Qunioa, a bag of frozen veggies, salt, pepper and olive oil!

And I continue to make these every week (so far not sick of them!)  Stuffed peppers with homemade sauce, rice (or quinoa depending on the day), peppers, onions and spinach.  

This is my salad from my lunch with my Grandmother last week - it's proof that you can be creative at restaurants.  As a vegetarian it's hard for me to get protein in.  Most vegetarian dishes are some sort of carb and protein and usually chese (unless it's vegan).   All good in moderation, but for years I would end up hungry after going out to eat.   Not any more! This salad actually is not on the menu, but I request a 'double salad with eggs added on' and I am specific that I want 2 full eggs.  Not once have they given me a hard time!  All you need to do is ask.

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