When I Grow Up, I Want To Be Like My Children

I lose my cool, I yell, I get frustrated over silly things, I get tired of the ceaseless questions and hearing, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy" over and over and over.  I sometimes waste teachable moments, and just do what's easiest at the time.  I fail as a mom every single day in some way or another.  I chastise when it's not always deserved.  I shoo away when I should embrace.  I say, "Just one more minute" and then let forty-five minutes go by without fulfilling my promise.  I could keep going, but I'll get to the point.  The point is, my children forgive and forgive quickly.  Every.single.time.  I am incredibly underserving of the unconditional grace and love they show me.  No matter what I've done or said or how "ugly" I've behaved, they are always happy to see me, hug me, and forgive me.  I am always amazed and surprised by the tenderness of their hearts.  In their young innocence and purity, they are more like Jesus than I am.  What an example to follow!  What a showcase of God's love, forgiveness, and mercy I have on display right in front of me every single day.  Sienna, Price, and Maddox make me want to be a better mom, and to be a better mom, I need to become more like Sienna, Price, and Maddox.  

To Scale Or Not to Scale

To Scale:

Here’s the thing, many people (women especially), have an incredibly unhealthy relationship with the scale.  I get that.  What I am about to say is NOT for those people.  As a matter of fact, I used to be one of those people.  When I was interning at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs in their Strength and Conditioning Department, I would step on the scale up to five times per day.  WHAT?!  I know, right!  That is not normal.  That is obsessive and incredibly unhealthy.  But since then, through having my children and becoming a Beachbody coach, I have learned to have a healthy relationship with the scale.  As a matter of fact, I consider the scale, my BEST and most RELIABLE accountability partner! 

So how does it work?  What do I do?  I think its very important to have a healthy weight RANGE.  Not one number, but a few numbers you are comfortable at.  For me, I have a five pound range I like to be at (anywhere from 113-118).  If I step on the scale and I am within that range, I step off, and go about my business as normal.  If I am creeping above that 118 number, I know it’s time to get disciplined, be more conscious of what I am eating, and amp up my workouts a notch.  I rarely dip BELOW, but if I do, I know I need to consume more healthy calories, and build up more muscle.  This is HOW I have a healthy, beautiful relationship with my bathroom scale. 

To Not Scale:

There are a lot of reasons to not worry about the number on the scale.  One of which is your weight (especially as a woman) can fluctuate on a day-to-day basis for reasons outside your calorie consumption or burn!

But I think the number one reason you can not ONLY use the scale as a reference for your progress is that as you build lean muscle, you actually gain weight. So the best way to determine how you’re doing is by how your clothes fit, how you look, and how you feel, not by how much you weigh. 

A great example of this is after I had my twins, I started the P90X3 program.  The first picture was when I was three months post-partum and weighed 122 pounds.  3 months later, I had only lost THREE POUNDS, but the difference in my physique was tremendous.  I would have never guessed that a difference of only three pounds could LOOK so drastic and create such a different physique.  

Tis The Season Challenge

Tis the season to be jolly...eat Christmas cookies, watch "It's A Wonderful Life", indulge in delicious egg-nog, eat to your heart's content, rock that gorgeous cocktail dress, go see Santa, wait in long lines, and shop all day to find the perfect gift.

Can it also be a season of healthy change?  Is it even possible to capture any semblance of health and wellness during this celebratory and often chaotic time?  I believe so and hope so!  

My mission for this challenge is not to ask my challengers to forego their favorite Christmas goodies, or avoid their holiday parties, but to strive towards finding balance in the midst of it all.  I want to encourage staying on track, making time for YOU, and investing in your health for the first three weeks in December.  

Will you join me?  

Find me on Facebook or leave a comment below if you are interested in hearing more!  

Clean Eating and Me

I have an honest confession to make.  As healthy as I strive to be, nutrition is not my strong point!  I come from an Italian family on one side, and a southern family on the other, and boy do we know how to eat and eat well.  My favorite food is a cheeseburger and french fries for goodness sake!  I don’t think any of this is wrong, but my love for food DOES need to be balanced out with healthy eating habits.  While, I am still far from perfect, and usually indulge when I am eating out, we do our very best to eat clean at home.  

Clean eating has taken on many different meanings and descriptions.  Eating clean might even look a little different from person to person.  But as I was doing my research, I came up with the definition I liked best and what has worked best for my family and lifestyle.

Clean eating is…

Eating Whole Foods

This means eating foods in their most basic, pure form.  It means doing your best to stay away from the processed foods found in the aisles of your grocery store. 

Eating the Best of the Best

Eating clean is a good way to refresh your eating habits: it's about eating more of the best and healthiest options in each of the food groups—and eating less of the not-so-healthy ones. That means embracing foods like vegetables, fruits and whole grains, plus healthy proteins and fats.  Some clean eaters do not eat dairy, but I do!  I am not at a point where I am ready and willing to give that up, however, I do only buy organic dairy products. 

Paying Attention to Labels

Clean foods contain just one or two ingredients. Any product with a long ingredient list is human-made and not considered clean.  This goes along with the whole foods tip mentioned above!

Eating Five to Six Times a Day


Clean eaters’ nutrition plans usually contain three meals and two to three small snacks. Include a lean protein, plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and a complex carbohydrate with each meal. This keeps your body energized and burning calories efficiently all day long.

Choosing Organic Whenever Possible


If your budget limits you, make meat, eggs, dairy and the Dirty Dozen your organic priorities.

Dirty Dozen Foods:

•   Apples

•   Strawberries

•   Grapes

•   Celery

•   Peaches

•   Spinach

•   Sweet bell peppers

•   Nectarines (imported)

•   Cucumbers

•   Cherry tomatoes

•   Snap peas (imported)

•   Potatoes

I think what I love about the idea of clean eating is that it allows for a lot more flexibility than I feel many diets, nutrition plans, and eating trends tend to.  Clean eating is something I feel like I can stick with and DEFINITELY a way of life I want to instill in my children.  I want to reiterate how much I still struggle with my nutrition, but clean eating is my goal and the vision I have for my family.  

Transparent Mom Post

Yesterday was not my best day as a mom.  I felt hurried, distracted, impatient, tired, overwhelmed, and my sweet Sienna probably bore the brunt of it.  I just wasn't PRESENT the way I've been working so hard to be.  I wasn't focused on them.  I didn't put my phone in the drawer the way I committed to.  I didn't just sit on the floor and play with them enough.  I didn't listen with open ears, an open heart, and like I had all the time in the world.  My low point was when I became unnecessarily angry with Sienna for something (I've already forgotten what...what does that tell me?), and she said to me, "Mommy, don't get SOOO angry..."  Ouch.  

Nap time finally came, and even though there was peace in my house, there was no peace in my heart.  I felt sad.  I felt like I had let my kids down.  I felt like I was starting back at square one.  Even with the "free time", I was not productive because of the stormy emotions stirring within me.  Why is is that some days we need 97 do-overs and other days we don't need any?  

An hour in to nap time, God gave me another chance.  He gave me a gift packaged in a little girl who had an accident in her bed (which she hasn't done in months).  This time, I took advantage.  I held my sweet girl who was crying tears of embarrassment and shame, and made sure she knew how wonderful and valuable and smart she was.  I carried her to my bed where I captured the rare moment of just holding her close.  For my vivacious, chatty, busy, squirmy three year old, those moments are very few and far between.  I had the pleasure of just listening to her breathing as she went in and out of sleep.  THIS time I wasn't thinking about what else I needed to get done or how I hadn't checked enough items on my to-do list.  I was able to just BE.  Those 20 minutes were the most peaceful, love-filled part of my entire day.  

I am hoping to mess up less, and be present more.  But yesterday was such a great reminder that as much as we mess up, there will ALWAYS be another opportunity to be your children's biggest fan, to get it right.  

Real World: Bombshell Dynasty

As I pulled up to the mansion, I felt like I was on the Real World or the Bachelor.  I am sure the contestants on those shows felt the excitement, dread, anticipation, unease, and nervousness that I was feeling.  I was the next arrival.  I didn't know ANY of these girls in real life...only through facebook.  

I didn't understand how Lindsay (Matway) had met her best friends through Beachbody.  How could you become best friends with people you only really knew through facebook and saw a few times a year?  How could you develop such a close friendship with strangers?  How could Beachbody weave the stories of these women together in such an intricate way?  

I know now.  I spent three straight days, laughing with, talking to, exchanging ideas, sharing frustrations, goal-setting, and dreaming with 32 women who I would have never known if not for Beachbody.  It was revitalizing, inspiring, and challenging.  I will have a completely different relationship with these girls after this trip.  This weekend was the foundation for some intimate friendships to come.  

Lindsay's leadership continues to amaze me.  She drew people out of their shells.  She encouraged life story-telling that would blow your minds.  She asked the right questions.  She created a safe, peaceful environment where we could be honest with ourselves and others.  

We spent nearly four hours one day writing out our whys and goals and visions.  If you had told me we would be spending FOUR HOURS doing that, I would have groaned in agony.  But it didn't feel that way.  It was so freeing to have the time to truly evaluate yourself and figure out what you really want, and learn how to structure a plan for your dreams.  

I am more excited about Beachbody than ever.  I believe in Beachbody more than ever.  I feel more blessed than ever to have been presented with the opportunity and proud of myself for actually going for it.  

Five for Five

Last week, a friend messaged me and said she was in a workout rut, and did I have any tips?  I laughed to myself knowing that I too was lacking motivation in the exercise department, so what advice could I give?  I quickly wrote back, explained how I hadn't worked out more than 3 times/week in the last two months, but was ready to get back on track.  And then I did it.  I initiated accountability in my life.  I said, "My goal is to get five workouts in this week.  Would you like to hold each other accountable?"  

Do you want to know how many workouts I did that week?  Five.  I put on my workout clothes, stuck my PiYo or T25 DVD in, pressed play, and I sweated.  I sweated five times last week.  How did I manage to get five workouts in when that seemed nearly impossible just the previous week?  Was my friend going to give me some kind of grand reward?  Was she holding a gun to my head?  Was I suddenly just more motivated and finally "felt like it"?  Nope.  But at the end of every day, I sent my friend a short, simple message that said, "Hey!  I did T25 today.  I am 2 for 2."  Or, "Hey, I am 4 for 4!  I got my PiYo in today."

Seriously...that's it.  I wanted to be able to message those few seemingly insignificant sentences to my friend at the end of every day.  That is why I suddenly found the time, energy, and motivation to get my workouts in.  Do you see how simple that is?  We didn't work out together in person.  We didn't have to arrange a time to meet at the gym everyday. We didn't have to bribe each other with ice cream or a pedicure.  We made an agreement, and we both stuck to it.  

Where do you need accountability in your life?  What would that look like?  Who would you ask?  Think about it, and then do it.  

365 Days Later

365 days ago, I was induced at 38 weeks, and gave birth to twin boys.  Price was 6 pounds, 13 ounces, and Maddox was 5 pounds, 7 ounces.  They are one year old today, but Price still outweighs Maddox : ) 

When I found out I was pregnant with twins, I was ecstatic, but I was also scared. I was scared I wouldn't be able to handle it, I was scared of potential health complications for me and the babies, I was scared I wouldn't get any sleep, and in my vanity, I was scared of what a twin pregnancy would do to my body.  Would I get stretch marks?  Would my feet get bigger?  Would my abs split?  Would my tummy stretch to the point of no return?  When would I have time to workout AFTER they were born?  What would my life...my body look like when all was said and done?  

By the grace of God even though I am still overwhelmed most days, God has given me the strength and stamina to do the best I can with my sweet girl and two little boys. I am happier and more confident than ever before. I have a healthier attitude towards food and fitness and my body than ever before.  So what happened?  I learned to be flexible.  I learned to have grace on myself.  I learned that a 25 minute workout interrupted by tiny hands grasping at me, little boys crying, and a little girl who has a million questions...was better than no workout at all.  I learned to keep healthy snacks nearby that I could quickly shove in my mouth.  I learned to rely on Shakeology everyday.  I learned when I needed to take the time to invest in myself even when there were no minutes to spare.  I learned to laugh at my loose skin.  I learned how to relax even when there were more "important" things that needed doing.  I learned what contentment and balance look like in my life now.  (Unfortunately knowing what it looks like and living it out are two different things, but I'm working on it). 

I did not do anything miraculous or extreme. I tried to take each day one at a time (sometimes each hour a minute at a time!), I did my best to make more good decisions than bad, and took the time to invest in MYSELF, knowing that in the long run that investment would result in a better mommy and wife.  365 days later, I am happy.  I am blessed beyond measure.  I have more love in my heart for three little babes than I ever thought possible.  

Gym Rat vs At-Home Fitness

I am (was) an admitted gym rat.  I love(d) the gym.  I love walking in to the spacious building, smelling the sweat/cleaning solution combo, listening to the humming of the treadmills, grunting of the muscle-heads, clang of the weights, and up-beat music blasting from the aerobics room.  I love "competing" with the unsuspecting person next to me on the elliptical, showing off my strength on the chin-up bar, and using the ONLY machine that will isolate those pesky inner and outer thighs (you know the one I'm talking about).  I love socializing with the people I know, slightly nodding at the familiar faces I see every single day, yet do not know, and probably never will.  And...dare I say it?  I like feeling attractive at the gym, I like a wee bit of attention and RESPECTFUL admiration.  Am I allowed to admit that?  Well I just did because it's the truth.  The point is, I feel at home in a gym.  All through college and in the few years after college (before I got married), I spent a LOT of time in the gym first as an athlete, then as a personal trainer.

When I became a Beachbody coach, I was very unsure of how I would enjoy at-home fitness.  Going to a gym gave me something to do, something to look forward to, and a sense of community.  Working out at home with my DVD player wouldn't give me any of that.  Skeptically, I pressed play to my first workout of P90X3 with Tony Horton.  When I wasn't rolling my eyes at his corny sense of humor, I was gasping for breath, sweating bullets, and grunting painfully through the workout.  I became a believer.  What's more, it literally took me 30 minutes from start to finish.  

Here's the thing, there are days where I pushed myself at the gym.  There are days where I gave myself a heck of a workout.  But if I'm being honest, most days, I did my thirty minutes of elliptical, a few lunges and pull-ups, looked around, socialized, and called it day.  Even as a personal trainer, knowing exactly what to do and how to do it, I STILL didn't do it.  I did not push myself, and rarely had someone else to...(except the unsuspecting person on the treadmill who was running faster than I was and for longer...WHAT?!)  

The DVDs I have since used (P90X3, T25, and PiYo) challenge me way more than I ever challenge myself.  Tony Horton, Shaun T, and Chalene Johnson may not actually be with me in person, but boy do they push me through the TV.  I find myself talking to them as if they were there, and working out like they could actually see me.  

Do I still love the gym?  Yes.  Will I ever go back to working out at a gym?  Absolutely.  But I am SOLD on Beachbody's at-home fitness DVDs, as well.  Even if you are gym rat like me, they are perfect for those days when you won't have time to drive to the gym, check in, wait for your machine, go to the bathroom, make small talk with an acquaintance, and drive home.  Incorporating quality and effective workout DVDs in to your normal routine could give your body and metabolism the change-up and boost it needs.  

I look forward to walking in to a gym again and enjoying the variety and community it provides, but at-home fitness will always play a role in my workout regimen. 

10 Things THEY Never Told Me About Having a Baby

10 Things THEY Never Told Me About Having a Baby:

1. They never told me it would look like THAT down THERE!

2. They never told me that life would NOT in fact revolve around that tiny 8 pound newborn baby, but around your milk supply.

3. They never told me, my boobs would feel like they were STUFFED with dozens of marbles when the milk came in.

4. They never told me I would LITERALLY feel like I got run over by a truck after I gave birth for the first time.

5. They never told me that any sense of modesty would go out the window during and after childbirth.

6. They never told me that I would have to count the number of times my baby pooped AND describe in detail the color.

7. They never told me what a double electric breast pump does to your nipples.

8. They never told me I could possibly, ever be THAT tired and exhausted.

9. They never told me about nap jail.

10. They never told me not to do a plank exercise because what is hanging beneath your stomach is SCARY