Healty and Fitness

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  Let me know if you LIKE this entry, I look forward to reading your comments, and I am always in the mood for a Protein Shake;)

 

Have a Fabulous Week!

 

Stay Healthy!

Darla:)

In this world of extreme perfection and nothing being good enough, I say it has to be good enough…I will go farther than that and say IT IS GOOD ENOUGH…I mean really…YUCK…otherwise I would be such a miserable person always searching for something to fill some void I think I am missing.  You know what…I AM good enough.  I can recall a time in my life where I did struggle with the whole “not good enough” thing, always trying to please someone and giving so much consideration into what others thought of me…OMG…what a horrible way to be and so anxiety producing…just thinking back about it…I now laugh and am so thankful for being older, wiser, and so much better.  I guess it had to be a part of my journey of learning and maturing into the healthy woman I am today. 

Perfection and pleasing are tossed to the side, and just being the BEST version of ME each day is my goal.  I am not saying that I do not enjoy pleasing people with my cooking or something fabulous like that…I am talking about the warped thinking of “why did they not approve of this or that about me, or not like how I did something”…there is truly a difference.  Why did I even care???  WOW…talk about unhealthy thinking of the past.  What the heck does this have to do with maintaining my now 48 year young physique…I SAY EVERYTHING. 

It is my state of positive thinking and ACCEPTANCE of Darla, with all my imperfections and physical limitations that motivate me each day.  It is that “feel good” feeling that completely coats my spirit and provides an “AH HA” moment each day for me…I mean it can make me feel like a kid, not take things so serious, and free me to be ME…IT IS ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!!!  It is that whole not sweating the small stuff in life anymore and letting go of things I can’t control… YAHOOO …. YES…this is healthy, I feel healthy, I love how I take care of ME and I accept that about ME,  and it feels better than good.   I will go farther than good and say that it feels pretty darn GREAT! 

Personal Goal:  OK everyone…I want to blog more and I am praying for more time to do this.  My goal is to MOTIVATE through my writing at least one time per week.  I have been utilizing my Stay Healthy Facebook because of its’ quick and easy download of this or that in seconds and I still plan to maintain that as long as FB does not continue to try and regulate business pages.  My passion and “want” is to channel the same feel of what I like to call “In Your Face” MOTIVATION posters here, along with helpful links, recipes, and exercise ideas.  I like that the Blog is individual and very personal…this is more down to earth and ME to MOTIVATE you.  So, even if I write a brief paragraph about my thoughts for the day or week, I am on board for that…how about you?

(My modifications...negative pullups for the pushups to protect my neck)

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  Let me know if you LIKE this entry, I look forward to reading your comments, and I am always in the mood for a Protein Shake;)

Have a Fabulous Weekend!

OK…another holiday that the stores are cramming with crap...YIKES and YUCK.  Am I a scrooge (oops…wrong holiday)...stick in the mud about Easter????  Well, of course not, far from that…and YES…when my kids were small and even adults…I would make baskets filled with goodies, hide Easter eggs, and had great fun dying eggs…and better yet…eating egg salad sandwiches…BOMB protein.

Easter just is not about the “Bunny Business” for me or shoving tons of candy in my face…A Big NO WAY…in fact, and get ready for a soap box moment here…there is too much capitalization on every single holiday telling the consumer to eat more junk, spend on junk, and the worst part…the meaning of the holiday is missed altogether…there…said it and further…how is this healthy…I think NOT…OK, now I am moving on.  YES, Easter has such a deep meaning as I celebrate my faith and well, sorry chocolate rabbit, although cute and full of calories, it takes the back seat. YES…I enjoy my spiritual life and have faith in the meaning of what it means to be a Christian.  Drum roll…YES…Darla is a Christian, believes in God, reads scripture, prays a lot, and believe me….there have been many times in my life where I know that my strength alone was not enough to get me through…I am talking about the belief in something greater than myself.  There was a time in my life when I was at that… OMG…can’t let anyone know that I am a Christian…what would they think, would they still like me, think I am weird, accept me? I am so happy to be beyond living my life according to what I thought others expected of me, accepted of me, never good enough, pleaser, pleaser, pleaser for everyone but myself…WOW…what was I thinking, and why did I care…it was all a part of my journey of learning…yes, I was once there. 

How refreshing to be living Darla’s life now, and I say something as fabulous as faith is meant to be shared, not hidden.  “Older, Wiser, Better” is what I say now, and this quote can definitely be applied to many areas of my life’s journey… that’s for sure. I know that we all want to believe in things we can see, feel, pull up a chair and have a conversation…but you know what…too easy…that is why it is called faith.  Does this put you off the person who is Darla…well, I will take that chance…this is who I am…the person that is here to MOTIVATE you with my life.  I do not walk in fear or shame of who I am, my beliefs, or my passions, otherwise I would be a hypocrite and that is NOT me.  What you see is what you get…that has always been my way and how I share with you…REAL…like me or not…now that is healthy!

I look at it this way, life is about challenges that push and pull me in different directions and it is how I respond to those challenges that makes me a healthy girl and with God by my side, I feel strong, confident, and able to walk through any circumstance that comes my way.  Sometimes even a workout may seem tough and let me just share that my cardio is the perfect time to chat with God…pray and sweat and believe me I can cover quite a bit in this hour long conversation. Talk about a therapy session that is free and burns calories…a WIN WIN in my Stay Healthy book.  OK…are you thinking…OH MY…she is a “Jesus freak” off her rocker, Bible thumper, door to door sales evangelist, or how about… the new fitness evangelist…YIKES…are you kidding me??? I do not have to be any of those things because I live my life as an example of loving God, and if how I conduct myself says something to my family, friends, clients, online followers, etc…then that is inspiring and MOTIVATING.

Easter just seemed the perfect time to share this with you, and believe me, I try to live to honor God everyday in what I say, think, and do…I am human, make mistakes, fall, and I am humble enough to apologize when I am wrong.  Definitely far from perfect…as you know, I do not believe in that.  The difference is that I am my BEST as a faith driven woman.  Faith is what keeps me loving myself through how I treat my body, and deeper, how I am with my family, clients, and the extreme passion that I have to MOTIVATE people online to please live healthy lives…make it quality…One Body, One Life…MAKE THEM BOTH AMAZING is another one of my philosophies.  I hope everyone has a fabulous Easter day…will I have a chocolate rabbit…well maybe…and if I do, tradition says….bite the ears off first…at least that is what my daughter says.  I know I will be making my Stay Healthy Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls, recipe link below, and enjoying a healthier version for Easter brunch. Wrapping this up…what is important on this day and every day, is being the BEST version of me, otherwise…what the heck am I doing?  Stay Healthy!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!  OK…I am back from all my holiday festivities and I hope you had a safe, happy and healthy one.  I was thinking about the word “RESOLUTIONS” today and I have to honestly say that I am not into New Year’s Resolutions…I mean really.  Do you know the word resolution in terms of New Years means a commitment to yourself? Now remember, this is me and my life to motivate you and my opinions are never meant to offend…but I do like to make points along the way.  If you have been following my blogs, I am very candid and a no BS person and trainer…I hold nothing back when it comes to motivating you with my life…and to not know me for me…well…that is just hypocritical.  Now…moving on to the subject of resolutions and my thoughts.  I do not need a special day to make a commitment to myself and in fact, everyday should be a commitment that I will be the BEST me every moment of that day…a better wife, mother, daughter, trainer, friend, and in tune with my physical and spiritual self…I am always a work in progress.   Do I celebrate the New Year…well, of course…I enjoy ringing in the New Year with hubby, family and friends…a good party, movie, a toast, or whatever is planned for that evening.  This year just happened to be a cozy movie night at home with a Stay Healthy Pizza and Flourless Pumpkin Chocolate Brownies for dessert.   I hear so many comments about New Year’s Resolutions…I am going to lose weight, get in the best shape, watch less TV, spend more time with my spouse and family, work less, relax more, talk to God more…the list is endless…but this is the kicker…I also here in conjunction…I am going to party my ass off, eat everything I can, drink and smoke as much as I can…because my time is running out to do all those things before January 1^st...OK GIVE ME A BREAK ALREADY…sorry, this is such BS. Soapbox Darla…here I come...I so disagree with this attitude and the sad thing is that the so-called resolutions/commitments that everyone makes are seldom kept and in fact peter out at the 4-week mark…no joke. Studies have shown that the average time that a person sticks to their New Year’s Resolution is one month…so all that eating to oblivion and 15lb weight gain, drinking until liver is pickled, working overtime to stress overload, and TV watching until brain fried and family does not recognize you….is ABSOLUTELY worthless and in fact…an EXCUSE to be negligent with your body. Then the ugly cycle returns every 10 months as this behavior starts rearing its ugly head at Thanksgiving and continues through January 1^st.   I mean…OMG and hell to the Big Giant NO WAY for this 47 year young woman. 

I would not be living a healthy lifestyle if every 10 months I deliberately treated my body, self and family like doo doo.   What would that say for the respect that I have for me, and the example that I set for my clients and family as a healthy person…it would say I had none.  I take my body, life, family and health very seriously and am very passionate about what I teach on a daily basis…so, sorry…the excuse to do this just does not fly with me.  Am I a hardcore do not have anything over the holidays…NO…I have things in moderation and choose wisely…did you read my “I am a Cheater” blog?  Well, this is ME…and healthy lifestyle means LIFESTYLE. 

As far as resolutions are concerned, I would have to say I believe in daily resolutions…changes for the better…it could be as simple as modifying an exercise that does not aggravate my neck or improving a recipe after a flub in the kitchen, to making sure that I say “I Love You” to hubby each day as he walks out the door, taking time to read a scripture and reflecting on that verse, calling my kids, emailing each client something encouraging for the day…well, you get my point.  So, in a way, I do utilize resolutions…and get excited about the positive changes coming from those commitments.  Would I toss New Year’s holiday out the window…NO WAY…it is such a fabulous celebration and reflection of the year that has past and the New Year to come…and a time for me to be thankful…do I think everyone falls into the category of not being true to their resolutions…NO…but sadly, the majority do not follow through.  The BEST part about today is that a commitment to be a BETTER ME and YOU can start right now…and that is a Happy New Year!

1-Crockpot Steel Cut Oats topped with walnuts/raisins

1 Cup coffee with n/f French vanilla creamer

2-Post Workout Shake (the works)

3-Baked Butternut Squash & B/S Chicken Breast

4-Vanilla Whey Protein Balls (2)

5-Lean Turkey Burger on thin bun topped with onion/tomato/avocado

ARC trainer – 20 min

Squats 10lb dumbbells

Dead lifts 10lb dumbbells

Negative Pull ups

Lunges 10lb dumbbells

Pull downs 30lbs

Low rows 30lbs

Body Ball Abs