Stop Allowing Others To Control Your Smile, Your Worth and Your Attitude

This is a very personal post for me. My entire life it seems (at least to me) that there was nothing that I was able to do right. I was never good enough at anything. I have always felt alone and like I was a complete failure. I NEVER felt worthy.  This is my struggle EVERY...SINGLE...DAY!

Since I started being a Beachbody coach almost two year ago, I have realized that statement isn’t exactly true.

Yes, there are things that I can't do but there is so much more that I can! I turned to Beachbody for the support that the challenge groups provide. The inspiration to begin, the motivation to keep going and for all of the little extras that proved to me that I could make a difference.  I know that I am making a difference in the lives of many women and I am so thankful to them for allowing me to share their journey.

But through it all, I have struggled.  The reason for that struggle is from some of the people that I care most about.  Some, NOT ALL, of my family have been not been very supportive. Not just about the coaching part, but of the journey itself.  They don’t think that Beachbody is doing anything for me.  They consider it a waste of time and money.  They nit pick at everything I do and say and constantly tear me down.  I never wanted to admit this to anyone because I didn’t want to have anyone think badly of my family. 

 

That got me thinking that if this is the case with some of my loved ones, I wonder if anyone else has this struggle as well. That is the ONLY reason that I am sharing this!  When I decided I wanted to lose weight a lot of it was because of teasing from people that I love, friends and family.  I thought that once I started my journey that would go away, but it didn’t.  Now I get teased, but it is different. Now that I am coaching I am teased if I am not perfect in my nutrition, if I slip up, if I skip a workout, stuff like that. I don’t know about you but that just doesn’t help me at all.

I start slipping more, I start not caring, I start wondering if it is even worth it, if I am worth it.  That is where my head has been for the last few weeks. 

But then I will have a moment of pure clarity.  It’s like a light bulb goes off and I realize that YES damn it I am worth it!  I have given control of my destiny to someone else, I am never going to continue on the right path if I don’t take the control back.  I need to focus on me and MY journey and PROVE to everyone who doesn’t believe in me that I can do this, I WILL DO THIS!  It doesn’t matter what they think.  I need to take their negative comments and instead of letting it hurt me,  I need to feed off them.  To want this more than anything and I do.

This is why I love doing challenge groups.  Because I KNOW that I am NOT alone and that there are other women out there like me.  Others who struggle.  Others who don’t have the support at home.  I want to provide a motivational, supportive atmosphere to help them , (and let’s face it ME too!)

I decided today that I needed to get back on track, so I have stopped doing the 22 Minute Hard Corps program.  Yes, I know it looks like I am quitting but I’m NOT!  I NEED to get my emotional eating under control and the one thing that has helped me in the past is the Ultimate Reset.  So I started that today.  I have started some personal development reading to get my head in the right place too. 

I read something today that I wanted to share:

The only keeper of your happiness is you.  Stop giving people power to control your smile, your worth and your attitude. 

I think it’s about time, don’t you? 

Gluten Free Chili Spiced Pulled Pork Burrito Bowl

I have had a crock pot in my pantry since I moved into my home in 1997.  It's there but rarely used.  Don't ask me why.  You would think that being as busy as I am that I would welcome any help that I could get each day.

I think the reason for rarely using what could truly  become my best friend is because that would mean that I would have to plan in advance.  In all honesty, I never planned anything in advance unless it was my kid's sports schedules.  

I am finding that now because I am planning a week of meals in advance that the crock pot is an amazing tool.  I know what is being cooked every day in that week.  So I can just throw it in the crock pot, go to work and when I get home that evening, I have a delicious, healthy meal to feed my family, and me of course. :)

On Sunday I made Gluten Free Chili Spiced Pulled Pork Burrito Bowl in my crock pot.  This recipe was so easy to do, it really didn't cost a lot and it tastes delicious!  Normally when I make Pulled Pork it is drowning in barbecue sauce.  This was a delicious alternative and healthy! Oh and to make this recipe even easier, I used another friend of mine in the kitchen...my rice cooker!  

Instead of standing over a stove, wishing I could hurry up so I could go spend time with my family, I spent a total of 15 minutes or so throwing the ingredients the crock pot and then the rice and water in the rice cooker.  It is a WIN WIN!

GLUTEN FREE CHILI SPICED PULLED PORK BURRITO BOWLS

* 4 lb pork loin

* 6 Garlic Cloves, chopped

* 1 T. Chili Powder

* 2 tsp Cumin

* 2 tsp Paprika

* 1 T Course Sea Salt

* 1 C Fresh or Canned Salsa

* 1/4 C Honey

* 3 C Beans of Your Choice (Canned or Dried that have been cooked)

* 2 tsp Garlic Minced

* Sea Salt to taste

* 6 C white rice for gluten free, brown rice or quinoa for clean eating

* 3 Avocados sliced, (I didn't use avocados with this recipe because my son doesn't like them)

* Shredded cheese to top, if desired ( Omit for dairy free)

* Sour cream to top, if desired ( Omit for dairy free.  For clean eating, make sure to get a clean brand, such as Daisy or an organic variety.)

* Salsa to top, if desired.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Place the pork loin in the crock pot. Cover the loin with the 6 cloves of chopped garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika and salt.  Pour the salsa and honey over the pork.  Turn the crock pot on high and cover.  Cook for 4 hours on high or for 8 hours on low.

2.  At the end of 4 hours, shred the pork with a fork, tossing in the juices until they are all soaked up into the meat.  Keep warm.

3.  Place the beans in a sauce pan.  Add the garlic and bring to a simmer.  Season to taste with salt and remove from heat once cooked through.

TO ASSEMBLE BOWLS:

Place a serving of rice in a bowl and top with about 1/4 C Beans. Top with a generous portion of shredded pork.  Add desired toppings such as sour cream, salsa, avocado, cilantro and cheese.

This has truly become one of my favorite recipes.  I can't wait to make this again.  Enjoy! :)

Thank you so much for the support and your interest in this blog!  If you haven't already, please make sure to follow me on Face Book at Darlene Caron Nutrition and Fitness where you can find more recipes, fitness tips, motivation and information on upcoming Health and Wellness Accoutnability/Challenge Groups that I offer.

Talk to you soon! <3

Journey of an Empty Nester - April 13, 2016 - Say Bye Bye to My Results?

The struggle is real.  With Scott working nights I am having the hardest time sleeping. I guess starting tomorrow I will start taking Melatonin to help me sleep.  Ugh, it's hard to believe that I am so tired but my body just doesn't want to shut down because I am all alone.  This is truly going to be fun when Zachary graduates.  Many more sleepless nights.

Here is what I did today:

Workout:  Rest Day
Personal Development:  Deliberate Receiving Chapter 3
NWC:  Emilie Robidas:  The Art of Recruiting
Shakeology:  Chocolate Shakeo with almond milk
Bible:  Daily Walk Bible Reading Plan Day 1:  Matthew 1-4

When I woke up this morning, I promised myself that I was not going to get on the scale.  Yeah right.  Eventually I jumped on it and saw that the numbers had gone up. My first reaction was to get pissed off.  I mean, I work out hard every day, I am not eating junk food, I am not really eating much of anything but what I am eating is healthy, so why is the scale going up?  The old me would have immediately headed for the kitchen.  The new me decided I needed to contact my coach for help.  I was wondering why I was working so hard and not getting any results.  I mean was it worth it?  To listen to some of my family and friends talk about how I was wasting my time with Beachbody, with being a coach, with the programs and all.  I knew I needed to talk to my coach.  I needed her help desperately.

I wasn't able to get in contact with her at first, so I spoke to a fellow coach and while I was talking to Aimee, Amanda sent me a message.  They both came up with the same conclusion. :)  Great minds think alike I guess!

I explained to Amanda what had happened and we both agreed that I could workout every day and still sabotage myself by not eating.  My body would go into a starvation mode and I could say bye bye to my results.  I knew that something had to change but it is so hard to eat all of my containers with my work schedule.  Today I was working from 12:30 pm to 6:30 pm.  Another day of not eating correctly.  Right?  Wrong!

I immediately sat down and figured out a very basic meal plan for the day.  Before I left the house at 11:30 I had already eaten my breakfast and shakeology. I promised myself that during my fifteen minute break I would scarf down my salad and then have my cut pineapple on the drive home.  Of course that meant for a late dinner.  I had my dinner around 7:30 tonight.

This meal plan was kind of a success.  I ate most of my containers, not all but most!  It is definitely a step in the right direction. :)

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with tea 1Y 1P

Snack:
Shakeology with Almond milk, Cantaloupe  1 R, 1Y, 1P

Lunch:
Cuke, tomato, jicama, cheese, 2 eggs 2G, 1B, 1R

Snack:
Pineapple 1P

Dinner:
Shredded Pork 2R

And to end off my day....I received a package from Beach Body.  I hadn't ordered anything so I was not sure what it was.  When I opened the box I saw this letter!

And then on the very bottom was a copy of the Fixate cook book and a Hammer and Chisel tshirt.  Freebies for completing the #MastersChallenge in January with a lot of other coaches, Autumn Calabrese and Sagi Kalev.  Oh my gosh I was so excited.  I mean yes, I had completed the program but I had forgot about this part.

Now, I have a fabulous tshirt to help me remember my Hammer and Chisel journey.  To help me remember how I felt every day that I got up before work to work out.  How I felt when I started and finished the Master's Hammer and Chisel.  This was an incredible way to finish the day!










Thank you so much for the support and your interest in this blog!  If you haven't already, please make sure to check out my DarLeanFitness Page where you can find more recipes, fitness tips, motivation and information on upcoming Health and Wellness Accountability/Challenge Groups that I offer. 

Journey of an Empty Nester - April 12, 2016

Today was a pretty good day all in all. I really didn't get a lot of sleep last night because Scott is working nights. When he works nights I stay up half the night. I am so thankful that my shift today didn't start until 12:30pm. :)

Anyhow, I got up this morning, posted in a few of my groups and then did Day 16 of 22 Minute Hard Corps Resistance 1. I am loving this program and how quick the workouts are. I mean how can you complain when they are only 22 minutes, right? For the most part I did great with the workout except that I noticed I am starting to struggle a bit because of my carpal tunnel. I have a hard time doing pushups now, well harder than normal, I mean those are a normal struggle for me anyhow. I am also having an issue with holding the weights in my right hand. I don't seem to have any strength in that hand so that could become a problem. Besides that the workout went great.

For personal development today I was able to read Chapter 2 of Deliberate Receiving Finally the Universe Makes Sense. I admit that if I had seen this book in my amazon feed I would have scrolled right past it. But because of a wonderful friend and coach, Abby Marie, I decided to join her book club and give it a try. It is actually quite interesting. Thanks doll for the recommendation. :)

I also had time this morning to listen to a National wake up call. It was Seay Stanford: Building Trust Not Transactions. This was a great call and I would highly suggest it to any other coaches. I got a lot of golden nuggets from it.

Ok now for the daily scoop:

Breakfast

Tea and Oatmeal (yellow container)

Snack

Chocolate Shakeology with water (red container)

Lunch

Pineapple, watermelon, cheese and strawberries (2 1/2 purple containers and 1 blue container)

Dinner

21 Day Fix Approved Pork Carnitas with a roll (2 red containers and 1 yellow)

 Snack

Tortilla Chips with salsa :( Tea

I had about 55 ounces of water today. Not enough by far. I need about 90 ounces each day. I really have my work cut out for me if I am going to change things up.

As you can plainly see I am struggling with using my containers right now. Because of my job I don't have a lot of time to sit down and eat. From 12:30 to 6:30 today I had exactly 15 minutes to eat, drink some water and go to the rest room. So I need to really try to figure out how I am going to get all of my containers in during the day. Any suggestions????

I think I need to just find some super quick foods to eat on the run. I don't know. This is a work in progress.

I made a promise to a good friend of mine that I would not step on the scale until the beginning of next week. Keeping my fingers crossed on this one. That is such temptation for me. I don't know why either. I mean, if I step on the scale and the numbers go up, I get depressed and eat. If I step on the scale and the numbers go down, I seem to slack off and then the numbers go back up anyhow. You would really think that it would make it so I didn't want to jump on. Know what I mean?

Thank you so much for the support and your interest in this blog!  If you haven't already, please make sure to check out my DarLeanFitness Page where you can find more recipes, fitness tips, motivation and information on upcoming Health and Wellness Accountability/Challenge Groups that I offer. 

Journey of an Empty Nester - April 11, 2016

Lately I haven't been feeling like I have been giving it all, for myself at least.  I still do my challenge groups but it seems like I am just not giving 100% and that has to change.

Last night I had a call with my coaching team and it was an eye opener.  Granted, we were talking about how to keep better track in our coaching business and how we could change things up.  I realized that my fears of failure, my fear of how others see me has been holding me back.  I do write about some personal stuff, that's true, so that isn't exactly what I mean.  I am talking about holding me back as far as asking people to join my groups, to start their own journeys.  I am so afraid of them remembering the hateful person that I use to be that I don't even ask.  Not good. :(

I started comparing my business tracking with my health and fitness journey tracking.  I don't track that either.  There is no accountability for me.  So, I have decided that I am going to turn that around.  Accountability in this journey is huge. Without accountability then it is so easy to back slide, to slack off, to start eating what you shouldn't be or skipping that occasional work out.

This is one of the reasons that I strongly suggest joining a challenge group. But when your the coach sometimes you get so busy worrying about your challengers that you forget about yourself. So, I decided that I needed to do something that was going to help me stay focused, motivated and to just keep going.

I renamed my blog: DarLean Fitness Journey of an Empty Nester. In just a few short weeks my youngest will be graduating high school and getting ready to leave for Ft Benning GA. I am super excited for him but wonder what I am going to do with no kids at home.

My son told me that when he goes I am going to need to get a life. He is right. My life has been about my kids but now it needs to start focusing on finding what I love to do and expanding my horizons so to speak. My first venture is going to be writing in my blog daily to share my journey and to keep me accountable.

April 11
Workout - 22 Minute Hard Corps Cardio 1...done
Shakeology - Chocolate Shakeo with water and creatine
Bible - Matthew 1
Personal Development - NWC Tara Bialek: Warm Your Cold Market

Today I had a horrible headache, I still haven't been feeling the greatest but I did not let that stop me.  I still did my workout and for the first time I was able to actually complete it without stopping once.  Yay me!

I drank my Shakeo right after my workout but felt nauseous.  I'm not sure if mixing the creatine and shakeology together is making me nauseous or if it is just because I didn't feel well today.  Whatever the reason, I have decided not to use the creatine tomorrow and see if that makes a difference.

I posted tonight on my like page about an event that I am going to be starting at the end of April called Back in the Picture.  I am really excited about this one and I can't wait to get started.  This one is going to be completely different than any group I have run before.  It will have a daily welcome post, daily accountability post, daily fit tip post and  daily recipe.  I am hoping to seriously make a difference in my challengers lives, and of course in mine too. :)

I took my measurements today:
Body fat % - 32%
Weight - 185.8
Waist - 35.5
Hips - 40.5
Chest - 38
R Thigh - 22.5
L Thigh - 22
R Bicep - 12.5
L Bicep -12

Thank you so much for the support and your interest in this blog!  If you haven't already, please make sure to check out my DarLeanFitness Page where you can find more recipes, fitness tips, motivation and information on upcoming Health and Wellness Accountability/Challenge Groups that I offer.