Loving Yourself Through the Process

I want to take a moment and talk about loving ourselves through the process.  You can work as hard as you want to on improving your health and fitness, but until you learn to love yourself through the process then it can be a hard process to go through.

I used to be the type that was not happy until I had reached my goals.  This, in the end, would cause me to quit whatever "diet" or workouts I would attempt.  I used to be one of the ones who would want to quit without seeing results soon.  Unfortunately, a lot of people have this issue.  I know some of those type people personally.

I have learned now that health is not just wanting to lose weight or eat better.  It's a total mind and body change.  It's a lifestyle change.  You can't just go on a "diet" for a while, lose the weight, and go right back to what you used to do.  You also can't expect results quickly either.  It didn't go on in a day, you can't lose it in a day.  That is SO TRUE!  It took me forever to finally get that in my head.

The changes for me came when I learned how to love myself through the process.  I had to learn to love the progress I was making, not beat myself up over not being at my "goal."  I know that this is a hard concept for people to comprehend sometimes.  I've been there!  Once you have a great support group, and people who want to see you succeed you will be amazed how easy it is to learn to love the process and not just the end game.

My support group started with the Tone It Up community, and now it also includes my fellow health coaches.  Of course, I have my family and friends.  They were my first support group, as they are most peoples.  Having a support group from people I did not know before though was a huge game changer for me.  It's one thing for your family and your friends to cheer you on and tell you things that you would like to hear, but to hear it from people you don't know personally gives a whole other level of support.  In a world where people like to tear each other down, we need to build each other up.  

Find that support you need, support others in that group, and help each other!  They will help you love to learn the process just as you should help them to do the same.

Your body does so much for you already!  It protects your organs.  It lets you get up and move.  So if you're working on improving it, then why not love it on that journey?  

Don't let your mind let you think you are not worthy because you haven't reached your goals yet.  Don't let your mind tell you that you aren't good enough and that you can't make the changes you want to see.  It's your body, and you CAN change it for the better.  Your mind should be along for the ride as well, not try to discourage you.  Forget those who say you can't do it, and don't let it get to you.

Until Next Time,
Samantha

The 80/20 Rule!

So...what is the 80/20 rule you ask?

It's quite simple.  It is a rule we go by to begin making the lifestyle change that we need in our lives to have better health.  If you are looking to lose weight, gain weight, or maintain your weight then you should be using this rule.

Let's break it down:

80% of what you eat should be focused on foods that are good for you, clean foods.  The 20% gives you a little bit of freedom for if you go out and enjoy a meal with friends or have a drink.

It's more about a lifestyle change than anything else.  This isn't a new "diet."  Those don't last long, and don't really teach you the right ways to eat.  

I found this article on the 80/20 rule, and it could definitely explain it so much better than I can!

What is the 80/20 Rule?

I hope that was helpful! Stay tuned for more posts :)

Stay strong, MindBody&Soul

Chapter Three F.I.T. Takeaway

Chapter Three:

Step Three | Commit to the F.I.T Power Hour

This is where it really starts getting good, and it breaks down the routine we need to set for ourselves. Power Hours are for more than just businesses. They can be beneficial to those of us trying to get back our health and our walk with God!

• We need to prioritize and actively make the time to do things that will bring us closer to a healthy lifestyle.
• When the inside is right, the outside will follow.
• The F.I.T Power Hour contains:
• A daily, one-hour commitment broken into 3 twenty-minute segments
• Focuses on spiritual, mental, and physical fitness
• There are 3 components:
• F.I.T Soul: Where we spend time in the Word
• F.I.T Mind: Where we spend time with ourselves in reflection, prayer, and gratitude
• F.I.T Body: Where we spend time exercising
• This doesn't have to be 20 min. per section, you can switch it up as you see fit, and can even combine sections. Just GET THEM ALL IN!
• Spending time in the Word, and feeding our soul is the MOST IMPORTANT thing we can do to achieve our health and fitness goals.
• Spending time with God prepares our hearts to allow Him in and reminds us to carry Him with us wherever we go and turn to Him with every problem.
• We need to have a daily goal of getting closer to the Word than the world.
• The ONLY opinion that matters is our Lord's
• We need to commit to 5 minutes of journaling first thing in the morning, on a break, or in the evening. Spend time getting to know yourself and your triggers.
• Pray/read scriptures that support you in whatever your going through.
• Use the replacement strategies from Step Two to undo any thoughts that are not from God.
• Dream big, plan, reflect, pray, and know in faith that God is working in your life.
• Make time for exercise. Plan it into your day. This is a serious commitment!
• Prioritize! God should be your FIRST priority, always!

Hope you guys enjoyed this take away! I have gotten behind in my reading. I've finished the first part of Chapter 4, and will read some more before bed tonight. Hope to get up that takeaway Friday or Saturday!

I will also be posting right after this one a post about the 80/20 rule.

Stay strong, MindBody&Soul!

Chapter Two Takeaway from F.I.T

Here's a post that was supposed to go up earlier! I did not mean for this to not be posted. I got behind in everything else. 

On a good note...class is over! I passed with an A, and no more classes for me. YAY!

Here's my Chapter Two takeaway from Faith Inspired Transformations

Step Two | Renew Your Mind

In this chapter it discusses how we need to change our mindset.  We can't be any better than what we think .
          "As a man thinks, so is he."

• Don't put limitations on yourself, you can do whatever you want to do with the right mindset
• Don't let your "inner me" become your enemy
• It's important that we speak God's truth because our minds store everything! What we think about is what we become.
• Nothing in your past should be hindering your future
• You can't become who you want to be if you don't change who you are
• We need to do a few things to change our mindset:
• Trade fear for faith
• Trade guilt and shame for mercy and forgiveness
• Trade worry and stress for peace
• Trade comparison for confidence
• Trade confusion for clarity
• Trade "It's too late" for "God will do a new thing"

Let's continue to change and renew our mind for God's glory, and we will begin to see the changes in ourselves.  Our happiness and confidence will overflow into all aspects of our lives.

As you can see, I changed the picture and title to the blog.  It is now MindBodySoul Health and Fitness because it takes a change in our minds, bodies, and souls to really reach our goals we have for ourselves!

F.I.T Chapter One Take Away

Chapter One

Step One | Stop Dieting (Get Healthy for Good with God)

This chapter is an overview of why we should stop dieting and work on becoming healthy and live a healthy lifestyle.  It also explains about what types of foods we should be eating.  Some key points I took away from this chapter about changing up our lifestyle are:

*The media shows us what beauty is supposed to look like, BUT they don't always get the story right.  We can't compare ourselves to inaccurate depictions of the way others look in everyday life.

*You are fearfully and wonderfully made, and you CANNOT judge yourself based on the number on the scale.  Health is a lifestyle, not a race to bikini season!!

*It takes time to change to a healthy lifestyle.  No quick and easy solution.  Remember that there isn't a permanent answer in a temporary solution.

*Our first reason for losing weight should always be to GET HEALTHY and not just to lose weight.

*Balance is key when it comes to achieving our health and happiness potential!

*F.I.T. eating is choosing God-made food over man-made food.  The food you eat needs to nourish your body, not just fill you up.

*Macronutrients are key!
     -They consist of: protein, carbohydrates, and fats
     -Cutting out any of these won't give you long-lasting health

*We should be eating colorful foods, with lots of flavors and textures!  Clean eating doesn't have to be boring!

*If we restrict ourselves instead of choosing the right kinds of foods, we set ourselves up for failure time after time.  It creates a cycle of deprivation and over-consumption.

*The Spirit of God enables us to practice self-control whenever our flesh is wanting something unhealthy.
     "16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." Galatians 5:16-17 NKJV

*"Healthy is so much more than a look we are trying to obtain; it's a lifestyle we are trying to maintain." (Kim Dolan Leto)

*We need to connect with God through prayer and His Word to begin to overcome our flesh.  This way we can begin our next step in our transformations.

She gives some good strategies at the end for us to try so that we can break away from our old habits and form new ones.
1) Ask God to help you control your appetite before every meal.
2) Take the first step in shifting your focus from the world to the Word: choose scripture over social media, television, or a magazine at least once a day.
3) Practice accepting yourself the way you are now.  Look in the mirror every day and find one new thing you like about yourself.
4) Immediately replace any negative thoughts or words about your appearance or health with positive ones.
5) Find balance every day by making healthy eating decisions, doing some form of exercise, and thinking positively.

Until tomorrow :)

Update!

I apologize for not doing my Meal Prep post! Things got so hectic and I let life get in the way.  There has been a lot of personal issues going on lately and I let myself get away from taking time for myself and my health.  I haven't worked out like I had been doing, or even doing my meal preps for the weeks ahead.  I took some time today to rest and get my mind back on track.  Needless to say though, I still didn't get any meal prep done, but I know we have healthy foods in the house to get me through this week and get everything back on track.

I want to be real with y'all! Life happens, and I'm sure you know this already.  It happens to everyone and things get off track.

Let me say this though, I have 2 more weeks (including this coming week) of a class I was required to take for my job.  I have 3 big assignments due, and one more test.  So I may be a bit stressed until it is over!  Have no fear though, I am scheduling into my weeks time to get on here and post.  It won't be everyday though.  It may only be twice a week at the most for now. I'm going to try for 3-4 times a week.  Especially with the new posts I want to begin doing as of tonight before I head to bed.

I have begun reading the book "Faith Inspired Transformations" by Kim Dolan Leto.  I began reading it at the end of March, and sadly I have only finished Chapter 3 tonight.  I haven't been reading daily like I was planning when I first got it.  Like I said, life got in the way.  Even with reading (as much of a book nerd as I am!).  I want to make a post after I finish each chapter, with what I learned from each one.  I will make posts on the chapters I've already finished.  I can go back and look at my notes and take it from there.  I will post the first one tonight with this post.  Then Monday and Tuesday I can post chapters 2-3.  After that I can post as I finish each chapter!

I have already had some amazing take aways and "A-HA" moments from this book, and want to share what I am learning!

Planning Out My Week!

I know I haven't posted in a while! I got busy with work and trying to get all my coaching stuff taken care of! I also haven't been able to truly meal prep and get things done like I normally do because things have been so crazy, and getting caught up on bills didn't help me in the food department.  That's life right?

So, here is where I want to share with you how I'm working on scheduling out my week.  I have the Happy Planner from Michael's and I am loving it along with the layout.

First: I like to try and get down the important things that need to be done or I have scheduled (doctor appointments, class, things for work, etc.).  So I write those in on the days, along with the times.  This week I just have to worry about writing in when my lesson plans are due and when I have class and what is due that class.

Second: I then am going to be adding in something new this week.  It will be when and what types of posts I need to make on my social media to help in my coaching business.  I will also add notes of people who I have talked to about it, and when to check in with them.

Third: I will add something else new as well.  This is where I will add what I am posting each day to my challenge group that starts on Monday.  This won't be an every week thing, just the weeks that my challenge group runs.  I will do it again whenever I do another challenge group.

Fourth: I am doing the 21 Day Fix, and starting over on Monday to really try and stick to it for the full 21 days.  I didn't stick completely to it the last time, and I want to be able to see more results so I'm buckling down and putting the workouts for each day into my planner so that I will see them!  Along with any other workouts I want to add in (like the ones from my challenge group).

Fifth: This part isn't necessarily in my planner, but I plan out some meals for the week so that I can do my meal prep.  This makes things so easy when it comes to having healthy meals to grab and go when I head to work.  It can be so easy to buy something unhealthy because it's quick.  If I already have a healthy option with me, then I'll eat it instead of spending more money on something unhealthy!

I am starting to try and also add in things that need to be done around the house as well, to try and stay more organized.  I love to organize (thank you Pinterest for tons of ideas), and I can't wait to be out on my own so that I can really organize things the way I like and not have people go behind me and switch things up again.  At least my room and bathroom can stay organized neatly. :)  

So that's just a glimpse into what I do to plan out my week.  I like to get everything in no later than a Sunday.  That way come Monday morning everything is there, and then I can add to if things come up!

Stay tuned for a look into my Meal Prep this weekend!