21 Day Fix Days 9&10 and Recipe: Skinny Chicken Enchilada Casserole

21 Day Fix Progress

Yesterday was day 9 of my 21 Day Fix Challenge.  It was a rough day.  I felt sick all day and did my best to stay on plan, but I struggled with my water intake, and I did not get my workouts in.  Motivation can really take a hit on days like this.  You have to dig deep, forgive yourself for not meeting your day's goals, and decide that tomorrow is a new day.  Be careful not to turn your one sick day into a slippery slope of excuses.  Get back on your normal schedule as soon as possible and move on.  Like I said above, no exercise today, but I will share my meal plan (note: I missed a fruit serving and had an extra dressing).

Meal Plan

• Breakfast: Cereal w/milk and and egg (2y, 1r, 1tsp)
• Snack: Apple (1p)
• Lunch: Salad w/ grilled chicken (3g, 1r, 1o)
• Snack: Grapes and peanut butter (1p, 3tsp)
• Dinner: Grilled chicken wrap (1g, 2r, 1y, 1b, 1o)

Today I woke up early and completed two workouts, PiYo Drench and 21 Day Fix Upper Fix.  It felt great to get back on track!  I am down to my last week of PiYo, and I can't wait to see my final results.  This program was very different from what I'm used to.  It doesn't require any equipment, most workouts are even done barefoot, and with the exception of a set of burpees here and there, it is totally low impact.  I'm enjoying the change of pace this program provides.  Working my muscles in a completely different way for 8 weeks has completely changed my body, in a great way!  I could go on and on about this program, but I will save that for my results post next week.  Upper fix, the 21DF workout I was supposed to complete yesterday was great too.  I increased my weights for this workout, so I really felt the burn by the end.  I'm not sore yet, but I know I'll be feeling it tomorrow.  After I post this, I will be doing today's 21DF workout, lower fix.  Normally, if you were to ask me how to catch back up after being sick, I would tell you to pick back up where you left off and not worry about doubling up, but I still have a ton of energy right now, so I'm going to go for it.  Always listen to your body when it comes to starting back up after a set-back.  Pushing too hard and playing catch-up can lead to injury or burnout, which will end up taking you further off track. 

Meal Plan:

• Breakfast: Cereal w/milk and and egg (2y, 1r, 1tsp)
• Snack: Apple (1p)
• Lunch: Salad w/ grilled chicken (3g, 1r, 1o)
• Snack: Grapes and peanut butter (1p, 3tsp)
• Dinner: Skinny Chicken Enchilada Casserole (1g, 2r, 1y, 1b)
• Snack: grapes (1p)

Recipe: Skinny Chicken Enchilada Casserole **adapted from recipe found on inspiredreamer.com**

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast (cooked and chopped/shredded)
• 1 can enchilada sauce (I used mild)
• 1 can of corn
• 1 can rotel w/ lime juice and cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 low carb tortilla (taco or fajita size)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

Directions

1. Set your oven to 350 degrees.  Cook the onion down in a skillet to desired level of caramelization and put aside in a medium mixing bowl. Drain the corn and rotel and add both to the onions in the mixing bowl, stir until evenly mixed.
2. Pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom of your casserole dish, just enough to cover the bottom.
3. Place 2 tortillas in the dish and pour a small amount of sauce over the tortillas. Use a spoon or spatula to completely cover the tortillas with the sauce.
4. Layer shredded chicken on top of tortillas. Then add onion/corn/rotel mixture.
5. Sprinkle half of your cheese on top of the onion/corn/rotel mixture and then place 2 more tortillas on top of the cheese
6. Pour rest of the enchilada sauce over the tortillas and use your spatula or spoon to evenly cover the tortillas with the sauce. 
7. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top of the casserole and place in the oven.
8. Back at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
9. Cut into 6 or 8 sections, serve, and enjoy!

Monday Motivation, 21 Day Fix Day 7/8, and Results of the First Week

Motivation Monday

I just got off a team call with my Beachbody team and I am feeling inspired.  The call was about going from selfish to selfless in this business.  I did not become a Beachbody Coach for the money, though I knew the potential was there.  I became a Beachbody Coach to help others experience and achieve success with their health and fitness goals.  Here is one of many little nuggets of inspiration I took away from our team call:

I feel absolutely blessed to have the opportunity to combine my love of fitness with my desire to help others achieve their goals, all while being about to be at home with my daughter.  Team Beachbody is a fantastic business to work for.  They provide all the tools you need to be an effective coach.  I am lucky to be a part of the top team in our organization and have found a wealth of knowledge and support from my fellow coaches.  I could keep going about all the awesome perks of being a coach with Beachbody, there are so many, but I will leave it this.  If becoming a Beachbody Coach sounds like something you might be interested in doing, or you just want to get more information, leave a comment or message me on facebook -----> here.

Days 7 & 8 of the 21 Day Fix

Yesterday, was another busy day. We started out going to dog agility training as a family because we wanted to take advantage of the amazing weather we are having here in NC.  My daughter got to run around and get her wiggles out, while my husband worked the pup.  Afterwards we came home and enjoyed a relaxing Sunday of family and football.  I was craving red meat all day, so I indulged and had a lean burger for lunch and steak for dinner.  I stayed within my proper portion sizes, but the food was so dense, that it left me feeling too full. Blech.  I did save a yellow (carb) serving so I could have a small treat.

Meal Plan:

• Breakfast: hashbrowns and an egg (1y,1r,1tsp)
• Lunch: Cheese burger and salad (1r,1b,1y,3g,1o,1tsp)
• Snack: Grapes (2p)
• Dinner: Steak and green beans (2r,1g,1tsp)
• Snack: Apple (1p)
• Dessert: Dark chocolate (1y)

Today started out late for a normal weekday.  My husband is on call for work, so he was up nearly all night working, and I don't sleep well alone anymore, so neither of us got restful sleep.  Couldn't workout in the morning, but I did get in my Total Body Cardio Fix this evening.  I'm taking a rest day from PiYo simply because I didn't have enough time today to get it in, and I'd rather get an extra hour of sleep than squeeze in another workout.  I will be back at it tomorrow.  This is my last week of PiYo!  

Meal Plan:

• Breakfast: Hashbrowns and an egg (1y,1r,1tsp)
• Snack: Apple (1p)
• Lunch: Cheese burger and salad (2r,1b,1y,3g,1o,1tsp)
• Snack: Grapes (2p)
• Dinner: Steak and green beans (1r,1g,1tsp)
• Snack: Peanutbutter and dark chocolate (1tsp, 1y)

21 Day Fix Week 1 Results

I am super excited to share that in my first week of the 21 Day Fix, I have lost 3 pounds and 5 inches!  I couldn't be happier with my results so far, and I can't wait to see how much more I can lose in the next 2 weeks!  If you would like to join my next challenge group, message me on facebook ------> here.

If you are looking for more fitness tips and tricks or healthy recipes, I post both daily on my health and fitness Facebook group. I also run free challenge groups each month in addition to 30 and 60 day Beachbody challenge groups.  Join us!  We are up to over 300 members!  Click this link ------> Achieving a Fitter Life with Heather Hope

Day 5 and 6 of The 21 Day Fix

Today has been a crazy busy day!  It's getting late here in NC, so I will just share a quick update of the last two days on 21 Day Fix.

Day 5 of The Fix

Friday mornings in the Hope Household can be kinda hectic.  Usually by Friday, my husband and I have a tough time getting up early to get our workouts in before he goes to work and our daughter wakes up.  This would be fine, except, Friday's we have a standing morning playdate to attend, so our mornings tend to be rushed.  We got up late, so there was only time for my husband to do his workout (he took and extra rest day last week, so now our PiYo schedules are off by a day).  This meant that I had to get both of my workouts done during nap time, back to back.  It was tough, but I got it done!  I was so busy with one thing right after another that my water intake was pretty low.  I'm making a mental note to focus on drinking more water throughout the day, not just at meals.  Eating plan went great and was as follows:

Meal Plan

• Breakfast: Cereal w/milk (2y)
• Snack: Yogurt (1r)
• Lunch: Salad w/dressing, (3g, 1o)
• Snack: Apple, cheese, and peanut butter  (2p,1b, 3tsp)
• Dinner: Swai Fish Filet, green beans, pearled couscous (3r, 1g, 1y, 1tsp)  
• Snack: Cantaloupe (1p)

Look at all this food!

Day 6 of the Fix

Today was a busy day.  Slept in, as this is the only day of the week we don't have something we have to get up for, then had breakfast as a family, and headed out to a local fall festival.  Today I made a mistake.  I did not plan out my food for the day, so I ended up away from home and starving without any of my fix foods.  Oops!  We ended up going out to lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings, and I tried to do my best to stay on track while eating out.  I think I did a pretty good job. I ended up eating a grilled chicken wrap and a side salad.  I'm sure my weight will be affected by the salt content of what I consumed, but water retention is temporary, so I will try to not let it be too discouraging.  I was right back on track as soon as we got home.  Later in the day, we went grocery shopping.  I was really proud of us because we only shopped the perimeter of the store.  For those of you who may not be familiar with this, the idea is that grocery stores are organized to have the fresh, and mostly non-processed foods around the perimeter of the store.  The isles that fill the middle of the store usually contain boxed, processed, less nutritive foods.  Now there are some exceptions to this general rule, but for the most part, if you stick around the outside of the store, you will be buying higher nutritive foods, which is what we should be fueling our bodies with.  Because we slept in today and my husband did his workout during naptime, I had to complete my workouts after bedtime.  I'm finding that working out in the mornings is way easier for me than working out at night.  It was a struggle to stay motivated, but I did push through and completed PiYo Drench and 21 Day Fix Dirty 30.

Meal Plan

• Breakfast: Southern-style hashbrowns (cooked with no oil) and an egg (1y,1r,1tsp)
• Lunch: Grilled chicken wrap and salad w/dressing on the side (1r,1/2b,1y,2g,1o,1tsp)
• Snack: Cantaloupe (1p) 
• Dinner: Chicken Cordon Bleu and green beans (2r,1y,1/2b,2g,1tsp)
• Snack: grapes (2p)

Throwback Thursday, Day 4 of the Fix, and Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower

Throwback Thursday

This is actually the very first time I am participating in TBT.  I wanted to share my original before photo.  I saw original because I take before and after photos every time I do a round of an exercise or diet program. So, here is where it all started (May 2010):

 I didn't actually start my weight loss journey until the following January.  In January, I began Nutrisystem.  Nutrisystem helped me loose a good amount of the extra weight I was carrying, but not without some negative side effects.  I will tell you, that yes, it does work. I was averaging a 2-3 pound loss each week, but I was also exercising a ton (Zumba 3 times per week, and running 4 days per week).  The Nutrisystem foods are highly processed.  They contain sugar alcohols, which can wreak havoc on your digestive system, as well as a host of artificial, man-made chemicals and preservatives.  I did not feel good eating this food.  I was never hungry, but I felt uncomfortable, sluggish, and bloated a lot of the time.  If you want to do a diet program where you are provided food, I cannot stress enough to do your research!  With what I know now about nutrition, I wouldn't use this program.  I have actually been able to achieve similar results through clean eating meal plans, and I feel a lot better while doing them.  After I lost most of the weight, I was feeling, for lack of a better word, jiggly.  I needed to find a program to increase my muscle tone.  This is when I found Beachbody.  I bought my first program, Chalene Extreme.  I loved this program!  My muscle tone increased dramatically and I was able to break my plateau and lose even more weight.  Even better, my running pace dropped over 2 minutes per mile.  Here is what my husband and I looked like after Chalene Extreme (he did it with me):

See how different my husband looks in the two pictures?  His results are from Chalene Extreme ONLY.  This program did amazing things for him.  I wish he would let me share his official before and after photos, but he's being shy. Wanna learn more about Chalene Extreme? Comment below or Join my Facebook Group and shoot me a message: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1478749202392357

Day 4 of the Fix

Today was ab day.  Though not intentional, both of my workouts today focused on core.  I started my day with PiYo Core and moved straight into 21 Day Fix Pilates Fix.  Now it hurts to laugh.  Today was a good day.  I woke up early, had energy all day, and was only hungry right before dinner, but I blame my husband for coming home late from work and delaying dinner an hour.  I just finished my last snack, a cup of cantaloupe. Yum, I love cantaloupe.  

Today's Meal Plan:

• Breakfast: Cereal and a scrambled egg (2y, 1r, 1tsp)
• Snack: Large apple (2p)
• Lunch: salad, grilled chicken and mashed potatoes (3g, 1r, 1y, 1o, 2tsp)
• Dinner: lean hamburger patty w/cheese, roasted cauliflower (2r, 1b, 1g, 1tsp)
• Snack: Cantaloupe (1p)

Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower 

Ingredients

• Head of Cauliflower
• Olive oil
• Lemon Juice
• Crushed Rosemary
• Ground Oregano

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Cut and separate the Cauliflower florets into small pieces
3. Put the florets into a large mixing bowl and drizzle olive oil over the florets.  Add rosemary and oregano to taste. I like a generous amount of rosemary and a sprinkle of oregano. Add lemon juice, enough to coat florets.
4. Toss florets until evenly coated
5. Place florets on a baking sheet covered in non-stick foil
6. Place in oven for 20 mins, stirring occasionally. Pull out of oven when cauliflower has reached desired level of caramelization

Thanks for reading!  If you are interested in daily motivation, healthy recipes, and fitness tips, join my facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1478749202392357

Day 2 and 3 of 21 Day Fix

Three days into the 21 Day Fix, and I am feeling very good.  The eating plan has been easy to implement, and the workouts are short, but very effective.  Here's a breakdown of the last 2 days:

Day 2 of the Fix

Today my daughter had a playdate, so I had to work my meals and workout schedule around it.  I didn't get up early enough to get in a morning workout, which made doing doubles more difficult, but I am proud to say I got it done.  Today's Fix workout was Upper Fix.  I really enjoy arm days, so I really liked this workout.  I'm going to use heavier weights next time.  3 and 5 pounder weren't doing it for me.  I did this workout during my daughter's nap time, and did my second workout, PiYo Sculpt, after she went down for the night.  After so many days of doing morning workouts, I did struggle to workout in the evening.  I just don't have the same motivation at night.  As far as the eating plan went, I was happy with my food choices.  I was a little hungry in the late afternoon, but drinking water helped curb my appetite until dinner.  I am still experimenting with what time to have each of my color containers.  Today I tried having reds (protein) in the morning and my yellows (carbs) later in the day.  I liked this better than Monday's meal plan.

• Meal Plan
• Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs (2r, 1tsp)
• Snack: Large apple (2p)
• Lunch: Tortellini and green beans (1g, 1r, 1y, 1b, 1tsp)
• Snack: Cantaloupe (1p)
• Dinner: salad w/dressing, grilled chicken and mashed potatoes (3g, 1r, 2 1/2 y, 1o, 1tsp)

Day 3 of the Fix

Got my schedule back on track today. Got up early and did my PiYo workout (PiYo Sweat) before the kiddo was up.  Today my husband joined me for PiYo.  He is doing the program as well, but we usually workout separately.  It was nice to have a workout partner today.  I was planning on getting my fix workout in during nap time, but life got in the way of that, and I had to save it until after bedtime.  I just finished the Lower Fix workout a little bit ago.  I have mixed feelings about leg day.  

It was a really good workout, and don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it, but I am not as much of a fan of sore legs.  You really don't realize how much you utilize your quads and hamstrings until you have tried to sit, stand, or climb stairs after leg day.  On the flip side though, your legs are your power house and the key to revving up your metabolism.  Leg muscles are big muscles and require a lot of energy to function.  So, embrace leg day!  The hurt is worth it. At least, that's what I'm telling myself. :)  My meal plan today was on point.  I was really happy with how it worked out:

• Meal Plan
• Breakfast: cereal w/1%milk, 1 scrambled egg (2y,1r, 1tsp)
• Snack: Large apple (2p)
• Lunch: salad, grilled chicken, and mashed potatoes (3g, 1r, 1y, 1o, 1tsp)
• Snack: Colby cheese and almonds (1b)
• Dinner: Pork Loin and roasted cauliflower (2r, 1g)
• Snack: Cantaloupe (1p)

I love roasted cauliflower.  I have a great recipe that I will post tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Motivation Monday and Day 1 of the 21 Day Fix

Hey y'all!  Let me start with today's Motivation Monday pic. Better late than never, right?

This quote really hit home for me.  When I was overweight, I thought everything would be so much easier once I was fit.  Getting there required more focus and discipline than I had ever put into anything else.  Little did I know, once I reached my goals, I would have to work nearly as hard to keep me there. Now, I'm not saying that you can never slip up or have a cheat day, I most certainly did, but I had to dig deep to bounce back from my mistakes that I had along the way.  This journey is not an easy one, but, having been there once before, I can say without any doubt, the results are worth the effort you are putting in.

Today was my first day of a new program, 21 Day Fix. This is a Beachbody program that incorporates healthy eating using color coded containers to guide your portion sizing with an exercise program that consists of 30 minute workouts, 7 days a week.

  

The coolest part of this program, is that I am participating in my first Facebook Challenge Group. Challenge groups are a great way to stay accountable and provide a place where we can connect with others who are going through the same journey we are.  The challenge groups are free to join once you have the program your group will be using, so you can join for as many rounds of your program as you would like to do, without any additional cost.  Once I have participated in this challenge group, I will be coaching my own groups once a month using the 21 Day Fix Program.  I will also coach challenge groups periodically that utilize the other Beachbody Programs like P90X3, T25, and PiYo.  I can't wait!

Day 1 of 21 Day Fix went as follows:

First, I started my morning with PiYo Sweat before my toddler woke up.  I'm currently in week 7 of 8 of the PiYo Program.  I normally wouldn't overlap programs, but I wanted to get a jump start on my first challenge group, so I could start helping others in my own hosted groups.   I am loving my PiYo workouts.  This program incorporates the fundamentals of both Pilates and Yoga in a fast-flow, low impact workout.  My flexibility has improved tremendously since starting this program, and my body is definitely changing, but more on that once I finish the program and post my before/after photo and results.

After my first workout, I ate breakfast, got my daughter up, and fed her breakfast  We played and ate lunch before her nap. Once she was down, I did my Fix Workout.  Today was Total Body Cardio Fix.  Wow was that a workout!  It totally kicked my butt, and I am feeling it everywhere tonight.  After workout #2, I had a snack. My daughter woke up a short time late and we played until my husband came home. Then was dinner and bed time for the babe and time to focus on my coaching.  We had a fantastic team call tonight on blogging.  I learned a bunch and plan to incorporate much of what we talked about into this blog in the coming weeks.  

Meal Plan Day 1:  I am on the 1500-1799 calorie eating plan

• Breakfast: Cereal and 1/2 cup 1% milk -- (2 1/2y)
• Snack: Yogurt (made w/2% milk) -- (1r)
• Lunch: Leftover tortellini and green beans -- (1r,1/2y,1b,1g,1tsp)
• Snack: Apple -- (2p)
• Dinner: Large Salad w/dressing and 2 scrambled eggs -- (3g,1o,2r,1tsp)
• Snack: Grapes -- (1p)

I was a little hungry after my second workout, but after drinking some water, I felt better.  This is totally a doable plan.  I love the flexibility, and spreading out the food throughout the day kept my energy levels up despite doing double workouts.  I could get used to this!

Becoming a Morning Person

Let me start by saying I am not a morning person by nature, and that is putting it mildly. Thankfully, my toddler is also not a morning person, so for the past year of my stay-at-home mom adventure, we have happily started our days after 9am.  I recently made to decision to become an Independent Beachbody Coach, primarily to help others in their fitness journeys, but to also contribute to our family finances.  If you read my first blog post, you know that I am one of those people who goes all out when I commit to something.  I have made pretty lofty goals for myself regarding this new endeavor and have been studying the elite coaches in our business to figure out what behaviors have made them successful.  One of the behaviors that all of these successful coaches have in common, much to my dismay, is that they are early risers.  To clarify, when I say early, I mean very early, like 5am early.  Yuck.

The more I researched behaviors that lead to success, the clearer it became. Successful people make it a point to get up early. This lead me to research how to become a morning person and come up with a plan to help me learn this behavior. Here is what I have found:

1. Baby Steps -- Start by turning back your alarm by 15 minutes a day or every couple days. Some people can go cold turkey and turn their alarm back to 5 am in one day, but if you want a better chance at forming a lasting behavior, small increments are the way to go.
2. Create a Routine -- Humans are creatures of habit.  Most of us thrive on routines.  Making a morning routine and sticking to it will help you pop out of bed with your first alarm instead of hitting snooze.  Consistency is key.  You may have heard that it takes 21 days to form a habit.  It can actually take a bit longer than that.  One study I read recently determined it took members of their test group an average of 66 days to form a new habit.  Be patient!
3. Get Moving -- Getting your body moving soon after you wake up will energize you just as much, if not more than, your morning cup of coffee.  Even just a set of jumping jacks will do the trick.  Make a morning workout part of your routine.
4. Accountability -- Tell someone a friend or family member what time you want to wake up.  This helps your mind commit to behavior.  If you need it, ask whoever you tell to send a wake-up text or call.  It won't take long before you are waking up before your accountabili-buddy sends their message.  Don't want to rope someone else into helping you get up?  I found a free app for iphone called BetterMe you can download that Publicly shames you by posting to your Facebook that you snoozed your alarm.
5. Get Enough Sleep -- Your body needs at least 7-8 hours of sleep depending on the length of your sleep cycle.  If you are not getting enough quality sleep, you won't be able to sustain early wake-ups and still be productive and efficient in your daily task.  That kind of defeats the purpose of getting up early, doesn't it?  I really struggle to fall asleep at night.  It takes me an hour or two of laying in bed, in the dark, to fall asleep.  A couple of tips I have found and begun to implement are unplugging 45 minutes to an hour before bed.  Electronics stimulate our brains, which is not what we want before bed.  Also, I read an article that stated the blue light emitted by our cell phones can change our biological clocks by making our bodies think it is still daytime when its not. This prevents us from falling asleep quickly after we have put our phones away for the night.  I have also found that for myself, I cannot exercise late at night.  The reason it is good to exercise soon after you wake up is the same reason it is not ideal to exercise late at night.  Try to relax the hour before you go to bed. Read a book, take a warm shower or bath, or do whatever helps you feel calm and content.

Today is day two in my path to becoming a morning person.  So far, so good.  I am still struggling to get out bed with my alarm, but once I get through the morning routine I created, I feel great. Are you a morning person? What tips and trick have helped you get up and going?  Feel free to share in the comment section for this post. I'd love to hear what works for you!

Motivation Monday

Here is today's Motivation Monday food for thought:

How many of you are so fed up with your body or your health that you know that somehow, someway, you need to make a change but haven't acted on that feeling? Is it because you don't know where to start? 

Believe it or not, you've actually already started.  The very first step, and, in my opinion, the most crucial step is making the decision that something has to change.  Everything else that comes after this step is actually easy in comparison to that first decision you made.  It is so easy to just go with the flow and maintain status quo, even if it is making you unhappy.  Admitting to yourself that your current state is just not working is difficult. You are in essence giving yourself a reality check, and that is sometimes a difficult pill to swallow.  

Now that you have decided you are not willing to stay where you are, it's time to figure out where you want to go.  Imagine what your ideal life would look like.  Pick one aspect of that ideal life and make a long-term goal. Then break that goal into smaller, short term goals or steps that will take you there.  Don't be afraid to ask someone for help. Everyone is on a journey of their own, even the people who look like they have everything together. They just happen to be at a different point in their journey then you.  

So what are you waiting for? Pick a direction. Make a plan. Let's do this!

www.beachbodycoach.com/heatherhope

The Rest Day

I am a very goal-oriented person.  I like to create goals, both big and small, for all areas of my life.  This can be both a strength and a weakness.  On the one hand, having goals keeps you moving forward and can give you a sense of purpose.  On the other hand, focusing too narrowly on your goals leads to a sort of tunnel-vision that can cause you to be successful in one area of your life at the cost of another.  Such is true regarding fitness.  I have found that exercise and fitness is one of the easiest parts of my life to create and achieve goals, but it is also the one area in my life in which I will readily sacrifice for.  This leads to burn-out, illness, and injury. 

Having experienced this issue time and time again along my journey to becoming fit, I decided to step back and reevaluate my training habits.  What I found was that in my attempts to achieve my fitness goals, I was focused mainly on quantity goals instead of quality, like number of miles I could run, how much weight I could lift, how long I could plank, and I was trying to accomplish these goals as quickly as possible.  At the height of my fitness frenzy I was doing two to three workouts a day, seven days a week.  I looked at "rest days" in my training plans as an opportunity to fit in a different workout. 

Now I look back at how I used to approach working out and realize just how ridiculous I was being.  Our bodies need time to heal and recover after intense workouts.  Just as our brains need sleep in order to process all that we have learned in a day, our bodies need rest in order to process all the work we have put our muscles through.  We must respect and honor the "Rest Day".  It is just as important as all of the workouts we complete.  With that in mind, today I observed the sacred "Rest Day".  I spent time with my family and allowed myself to enjoy the day without feeling guilty about not getting a workout in. 

"Rest Days" are not lazy. They will not slow you down.  Take the time. It will help you stay fresh and focused, allowing you to achieve your fitness goals without sacrificing your health and happiness. 

Introduction

So you've stumbled upon this blog claiming to give motivation and advice to achieving a fit lifestyle and you may be thinking who is this person claiming to have the answers to achieving the lofty for some, yet attainable for all goal of maintaining a healthy and fit lifestyle.  Well, let me first say, I will never claim to have the answers.  I simply hope to share my journey towards a fit life with you in hopes that some of what I discover may help or inspire someone else in their journey as well.  Still interested? Great! Allow me to introduce myself.

I'm Heather Hope, former middle school science teacher turned stay at home mom.  In middle and high school, I was a competitive swimmer, swimming several hours a day year-round.  Back then, it was easy for me to stay fit.  I was working out so much, I could eat whatever I wanted.  Everything changed for me my junior year of high school when my knees could no longer keep up with the stress I was putting on my body and I was forced to quit swimming.  All of a sudden, I was leading a much more sedentary lifestyle, but I didn't change my eating habits.  I very quickly began to gain weight.  By the time I left for college, I weighed over 200 pounds.  College brought with it the freshman 15 and then some.  This was when I started experimenting with fad diets.  I would try a new diet, lose a little weight, then gain it right back when could no longer maintain the food restrictions I put on myself.

After college, I moved across the country by myself, seeking out the freedom of living on my own.  Because I was on my own schedule and doing my own thing, I often skipped meals and hardly ever went grocery shopping.  I lived on Diet Pepsi, M&M's, and Cheez-It Crackers.  This tanked my metabolism, and I gained even more weight.  My boyfriend from high school and college moved in with me about a year later.  We tried to "clean-up" our eating habits, but without much knowledge and very little money, our fridge and pantry were filled with processed foods.  This was also when we started eating out regularly, a habit we still grapple with today.  I finally hit my wall after my wedding (to the high school sweetheart).  Upon our return from our honeymoon, I got my first glimpse of our wedding photos and was floored.  Yes I was a pretty bride.  I wore a beautiful dress and had the wedding every little girl dreams of, but that dress was a size 22, and I looked huge. It took something away from that day, the happiest day of my life up to that point, and still does when I look back at it today.  I knew I needed to make a change. I knew I needed help.   

All of the yo-yo, crash, fad diets I had tried in college left me with absolutely no confidence in my ability to chose the right foods to eat to lose the large amount of weight I needed to lose, so I signed up for Nutrisystem.  At least this way, the food was being picked for me. As long as I followed the plan, it should work, and it did.  With Nutrisystem and a significant amount of exercise (running and Zumba), I lost 70 pounds in 8 months. The problem was, the preservatives and sugar alcohols in the Nutrisystem foods made me feel awful, and after eating the same foods for 8 months, I was sick of their food choices.  It was time to figure out how to do this on my own, so I started to research clean eating and experimenting in the kitchen.

After gaining about 10 pounds back, I was able to maintain the rest of my weight loss until my pregnancy.  For reasons I will get to in another blog post, my pregnancy did not go as planned, and I gained more than 50 pounds.  I am now working my way back down to my goal weight through clean eating and exercise.  I hope through sharing my journey with you that I will be able to inspire and motivate others to begin, restart, or maintain their own path towards a fit life.