I haven't dissapeared....

I was part of a wedding last night and the last two weeks I have been busy with that (as well as some family craziness that I won't get into). I do have to say that it felt great to put on my maid of honor dress last night and have it fit so nice:) It was actually too big in the abdomen, hips and legs, but I had to buy it to fit my rib cage and I am fine with that.

I promise that now that things have calmed down that I will get back on track with the blog and start posting regularly. There are recipes and information that I really want to share with you all! Thanks for reading a being patient with me during all of this.

What Fibromyalgia Means For Me

About two years ago I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. It was not a diagnosis that I wanted, but one that I had suspected for a while. I was happy to have answers and even though there is not a cure there were treatments- medications like Lyrica, anti-depressants, muscle relaxers and narcotics. I wasn’t happy with most of these options, but I decided to try the Lyrica. It worked for a couple of weeks, but then they needed to increase my dose, not something I wanted because I didn’t want to feel drugged all the time, so I stopped taking all medicine to treat it.

For about a year, I was miserable. I was unmotivated and about the only exercise I would get was when we would go to the pool with the kids or to the Mall to walk around. My body hurt, I would sleep maybe 4 hours a night, eat sugary foods a lot, and would down 4 cans of Dr. Pepper a day, at least. I never drank water. I was MISERABLE!

I had heard all the hype about eating healthy and exercising to help control the pain, but I didn’t believe it. I had been told how drinking soda could make you feel worse, but I didn’t care because it couldn’t be true- how was I going to survive without it? I just couldn’t do it, until I couldn’t keep doing it.

Since I have given up soda and changed the way that I eat, my body feels so much better. No, I am not 100% pain free every day, but I am always at least 75% pain free and to be honest, the pain on those days is because I have had a bad night of sleep due to outside stressors. I have been amazed at how my body feels and how much my life has changed since then. I have been able to go outside and play with my kids. Hugs, massages and bumps don’t cause the pain that they used too and life is mine again.

I was determined that fibro wasn’t going to get the best of me because I want my family to have the best that I am. I refuse to let it win- to beat me down and leave me crying in pain. I will continue to win this fight and the battle that comes with fibro. I thank God for giving me the wisdom to have control over this and the wisdom to do what I need to so that I can take care of me.

For me, having fibromyalgia doesn't mean that I stop living, it means that I continue to live and be the wife that I want to be and the mother that my children needs me to be.

Guest Blog: 7 Ways Pets Are Better Than Pills

Today I am having a guest blog from a fellow health and wellness coach- Sue Ingebreston. Please check out her site and her blog.

Seven Ways Pets Are Better Than Pills

Have you ever had a bad day and come home ready to blow your top? Have you noticed how that frustration melts into a puddle as you gaze into your loyal pet’s golden brown eyes?
What better way to soothe aches/pains and symptoms of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, rheumatoid arthritis, Lyme, lupus, cancer, etc.? Our pets have the amazing ability to melt pain with simple wags and purrs.
We know they can do it so does the how really matter? Maybe not. And, we don’t even need to know why! Let’s just stick with, “because they love us.” And, there’s no doubt that the feeling’s mutual!

For this reason, I’ve come up with a short list of Why Pets are Better than Prescriptive Pills. Although there are lots of reasons, I’ll start with just seven. Add yours to the list and we’ll see how many we can come up with!
Here are Seven Ways that our Pets are Better Than Pills! —

1–There’s no side-effect label needed for the dangers of having a pet in your lap.
2–Giving a pet a bath is the quickest way to forget that stubborn ache in your knee (or toe, or whatever…).

3–The addiction to playing with or stroking your pet is not only healthy, it’s a good thing!

4–There’s no unsafe level or overdose danger for the time spent with your pet.

5–Even if the label is mis-typed – and it turns out your cockapoo is more of a doxiepoo – there are no lethal consequences from the mix-up.

6–An afternoon picking up dog poo at the park, beach, or lake, still trumps an afternoon in line at the pharmacy

7–Even though a dropped pill can bounce like mad on the kitchen floor, there’s no comparison to the entertainment value of a cat chasing a feather or a dog chasing a laser pointer. Hours of laughs — no prescription required!

That’s it for today — let me know what you think!

Thank you Sue for letting me use this and being my first ever guest blog!!!

Been away for a few days...

Sorry I have not posted any this week. My husband and I took a few days and headed up to the mountains to enjoy some peace and quiet and to visit some family. It had actually been awhile since we have been able to get away and it was a much needed break. Unfortunately, due to out air mattress getting low on us in the middle of the night we were unable to sleep well, so we cut our trip short by about 18 hours so we could sleep in our bed. I am still recovering- my fibro only gets mad when I don't sleep well, lol.

Other than the sleep issues, the trip was great. I got to spend some time with my cousin Sam that is only 4 months older than me and is more like a brother than a cousin. My sweetie and I also spent a day exploring and enjoying God's beautiful creation (nature and all the beautiful little things that are in it) and each others company. There is nothing like taking a walk next to a roaring river with trees sprouting fresh leaves and baby caterpillars everywhere. It was awe inspiring. 

Although the trip is over and I miss my family, my tired body is very happy to be back home sleeping in my comfy bed and snuggling with my fuzzy, fat kitty.

The last picture is one of my favorites! Those are caterpillars marching across the path.

Tortilla Soup with or without chicken.

Everyone in my house loves this recipe. The best part is that it is healthy!

28oz can of tomato sauce
4 cups of low fat/reduced sodium chicken broth
2-3 cups of water
1 can of dark red kidney beans
1 can of black beans
2 cans of corn
1.5 tsp of cummin
3 tsp of chili powder
either 3-4 cloves of garlic sauteed with one onion
or 1 tbs of garlic and onion poweder (or chopped dried onion)
2-3 chicken breast poached and shredded (optional)
tortilla chips
cheddar, mexican cheese blend or whatever cheese you like with your mexican and southwest flavored foods.

Combine all the ingredients except for chips and cheese in a large pot (at least 6 quarts) and cook for 30mins-1 hr. Add chips to your bowl, put soup on top and top with cheese. You can also put the tortilla chips on top instead of first.

Be sure to read over the ingredients of the tortilla chips that you buy so that you can get the healthiest option. Remember you only need a fraction of a serving. Also look for lower fat cheese and make sure that it doesn't have artificial ingredients. Again you only need a small amount, so don't go crazy and add a cup to one bowl of soup. 

Why The Sunshine Is Healthy For You!

I know that we have been told since we are kids not to be out in the sun, it can cause skin cancer, but did you know that it also has its benefits? Yes, there are advantages other than getting a nice tan to going outside every day.

The sun helps your body produce vitamin D, which in return helps with strong bones, a strong immune system, helps prevent some cancers, cardiovascular disease and other medical issues. Just by stepping outside during the spring and summer for a few minutes each day without sunscreen you can help your body be healthier!

Another benefit to sunshine is that it can help your mood. It can make you happy and feel more awake. It helps release endorphins which in return make you feel better. There are actually people that get seasonal affective disorder due to the lesser amounts of sunlight during cooler months.

Another thing the sun helps with is our healthy fruits and veggies!!! This is a big one, it’s like being able to take a big bite right out of the sun itself. It helps everything including us to grow to be strong and healthy.

I have decided that although I have fair skin and red hair that this year, I am ignoring my doctor for 10 minutes and day and I am going to get me a healthy, fresh bite of sunshine every day. Welcome spring and summer- come help make me a healthier me!

Thank you God for such a wonderful thing such as the sun. Something that can make me happy and healthy and it is mine to enjoy each and every day!

Want to share with you all!!!

I just signed up to be a Team Beachbody Coach!!!! I am super excited. As you all know, I really have a passion for helping others reach their weight loss goals and this is another avenue for me to do that.

I am so thankful to their products for helping me through my journey. I love Chalean Extreme and am so amazed to see the muscle definition that I now have. My husband does these workouts with me and it is so much fun.  He even does the cardio with me!

Tonight we also ordered Turbo Jam! I can’t wait to get it. Chalean Extreme came with a Turbo Jam Fat Blaster workout and it is one of our favorites so it just seemed like a natural choice.

Being a coach also has financial benefits and I am really hoping to take advantage of these as well. I don’t want to work outside of my home because I love being here with my kids and I have faith that this is going to succeed and that God is going to help my business. I do want to share both of my pages with you guys.

Beachbody Site- http://beachbodycoach.com/Stacy1220

Shakeology -http://myshakeology.com/Stacy1220

Please check them out and feel free to contact me with any questions. And no, my blog isn’t going to become about pushing products for Beachbody, my main goal is to help others reach their weight loss goals through mind, body and spiritual balance and to share my weight loss journey with you all.

Willpower

I have been trying to write this blog for the past two weeks, but to be honest, I just haven’t known what to say. I have been struggling with it because my willpower hasn’t been as strong these past couple of weeks, but I have found it again.

I think that it is normal for us to go through periods where we lose our willpower and get off track, but you have to make sure that you get it back. It is very important to your health and wellness to find the willpower to walk away from the junk food and to turn to exercising. It can be so easy to say “I don’t want to do it” and even easier to reach for the cookies and ice cream than it is to slice up some veggies and fruit, but your body doesn’t need the refined sugar. Your body needs the yummy goodness that is hidden inside each and every fruit, nut and veggie that we have at our disposal.

Willpower is defined as a) self-control- the trait of resolutely controlling your own behavior and b) the unwavering strength of will to carry out ones wishes. As we see it involves having mental strength and self-control. It also involves carrying out what you want, so if you want to be healthy, no one else can control this and make you unhealthy. If you are overweight, it is up to you to make yourself a healthy weight, not your doctor. Anyone, no matter what size, can take control and have willpower to be healthy.

Have you lost your willpower? Do you want to get it back? Then only you can make that happen. I challenge you to find the willpower to change one thing about yourself today that you have been struggling with- I challenge you to find the willpower to stick it out and get back on track to a healthy you! Today I am going back to cutting all junk out of my diet. I let some of it creep back in, but today I am determined to kick it back out. I challenge you to do the same.

Food Weakness

Food weaknesses- we all have that one thing that we struggle with. For some it is fried foods, for others it is ice cream and yet for others it is something totally different. For me it is chocolate! I LOVE CHOCOLATE!!! I used to not like it at all, but since my hysterectomy in 2006 I have fallen in love. I truly wish that it was something else that wasn’t full of sugar, but I am sure that the sugar has something to do with me being head-over-heels in love with chocolate.

Something that I have learned is that you can’t fall out of love with a food that brings you joy- if you deny yourself you are just going to make wanting it ever worse. You will think about, day dream about it and then end up eating a whole bunch of it at one time- like I just did. Well actually it was one ice cream sundae cone, the kind that you get at the grocery store. My oldest wanted them and I gave in knowing that I would covet one. It wouldn’t be so bad if it had a small amount of chocolate but we are talking a chocolate waffle cone, chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup inside, with a chocolate shell with chocolate crispies on top- total chocolate over load!!! I know, bad, bad, bad!!!!!!!!! I have to be honest- I am very ashamed of my actions!

I do actually have a way to help control my craving that I usually go to- I eat 2 Dove Dark Chocolates a day, but unfortunately I am out and I blew off picking up more while we were at the store getting the ice cream for the kids. I even told my sweetie that I needed to pick some more up while we were there, and then just went the other way. I was setting myself up for failure….

The good news is, I can put this behind me and move on from it. One diet mistake doesn’t mean total failure at eating healthy and I am not going to let my moment of weakness bring me down. Every single person has one, and every one gives in to them occasionally, but what you do after it is what counts. Do you give up and start eating that way all the time or get back on track and try harder the next time. You have to give in to some cravings and find small ways to do it. If you love ice cream, find a healthier alternative. If you love French fries, allow yourself a few every now and again, and if you love chocolate like I do, make sure you have some dark chocolate (at least 71% of cocoa) on hand but be sure to limit it as well.