Can & Can't and believing that you CAN

It's a total mind game. Your brain can definitely talk you out of doing a lot of things you know you should do that are good for you. I know I feel like I *want* to believe that I "can't" do things now that I am pregnant. And after the rough first trimester I had, I wanted to keep believing that I still "can't." But that just simply isn't true.

If you are like are me, and have been listening to this voice that is telling you that you "can't," well, it's time to HIT STOP on that negative tape in your head. I am now a week into my second trimester, and I am out of the woods of "all day nausea that makes you want to pass out." It was a pretty dark place but I see the light now. I no longer think throughout the day how terrible I feel and it's ok not to do anything but just manage the house and kids. I am getting my strength and my energy back. But I was in such a bad habit pattern of laying on the couch for so many weeks. I was going to let another day get away from me and just believe "I can't." But then I said, no, that's not really how I feel. I actually feel pretty good, maybe not 100% but a huge improvement from where I was. It was slow to come to my brain to say NO to the "can't thoughts" and say YES to the "can thoughts." It's like the Nina Simone song, "Feeling Good" and "It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me and I'm feeling good."

Then I #flippedtheswitch. I said "I can and I am going to try." So I stuck in a pregnancy cardio dvd and I hit play. My four year old and nineteen month old were home, so was I interrupted? Yes, several times. But I was an old pro of quickly fixing the problems and hitting play within a minute or two. And I kept going and I was getting my heart rate up and using my muscles again and feeling a little bit like my old self. It was really good to review exactly what it was that I {can} do while I am pregnant. And about 20 minutes into the workout, I gained my confidence back that had been missing for weeks and weeks. "I CAN do this," I kept thinking. It wasn't hard, in fact, it was pretty good. Even though in the back of my mind I have an "excuse clause" for exercising that if I am not liking it after 15-20 minutes, that I can stop and regroup again the next day. But my confidence grew like the Grinch's heart on Christmas and I made it all the way to the 40 minute mark, which is something that is usually hard for me to do normally NOT pregnant.

What is the moral of the story here? As a health and fitness coach, I listen to people tell me all the time how they "just can't" for whatever reason. Not enough time, no money, too stressed, no support, too hard. I want to tell you to HIT STOP on that negative tape and stop believing the lies. I have more excuses than anybody not to exercise and just "lie low" for the next 6 months with my 4th pregnancy and 3 children 5 and under. Nope, not going to happen. It's time to BELIEVE that you CAN. Because it is true. You really can focus on your health and make it a priority. Stop believing excuses and put one foot in front of the other to move forward, even just one tiny baby step toward your goal.

I believe in you. I believe in me. I know WE CAN DO THIS. Let's go!

80/20 & Keeping it real with Shakeology

I have often given the advice to my challengers when to eat healthy and when to splurge that they should follow the 80/20 rule. That means if you eat good 80% of the time, that it is ok to splurge 20% of the time. The problem with this is the same lie that most Americans say to themselves: "Oh, I eat pretty healthy and don't splurge that much." If we put that to the test: the test in which you wrote down EVERY SINGLE THING YOU PUT IN YOUR MOUTH FOR ONE WEEK...the results would probably stun you into silence. (Please download My Fitness Pal, a free calorie counter app on your smart phone & find me as a friend on it to share your menu with me.) You really do have to do the math and figure out what the splurge can be and how often. And with American standards, you need to calculate the portion size because we supersize everything all the time.

For example, last week was Halloween. I like many others, definitely nibbled on some chocolate (Reeses are my weakness.) With the 80/20 rule, that means that I could probably have 1 Reeses a day for a week, provided that I ate healthy the ENTIRE REST of the time. What happens is a little slip here (such as an extra slice of bread) or a slip there (putting a double portion of dinner) there. Or for goodness sake, you had to "eat on the run" whether you grabbed a "bad easy snack" or you hit the drive thru that week, you just blew the 80/20 rule and you are more like 70/30 or 60/40. If you were to grade your self on eating well (that's the teacher in me,) you are now at a C- or D/F. Is that what you want for your body? I hope not. I would hope I am a "B or better" because I know I can.

So what do I do? Lately, I have been battling my worst snack time: after the kids go to bed. So I have been drinking my Shakeology with dinner (or for dinner on days when the nausea is bad) or I make it after they go to bed. I usually make the Vegan Chocolate and add a little peanut butter and then it tastes like a Reeses to me. And it helps me avoid eating popcorn (my #1 vice at night) or some other nibbly or pregnancy craving (which has been lemonade this pregnancy.) This is what I am doing to get through and make sure I don't sabotage my hard work during the day or all week. Because believe you me, I can probably finish the whole bag of Reeses by myself in one sitting...almost.

But before I end, let me say one thing. I grew up enjoying food and I believe food is meant to be enjoyed and shared and celebrated. So when you do have the 20% splurge, enjoy it and feel no guilt especially when it is your birthday, anniversary or other special occasion. My birthday was last month and I feel no guilt that I had my favorite breakfast, eggs benedict. But I will tell you this: I only have it on my birthday or Mother's Day because I follow the 80/20 rule and I love to enjoy the 20 when it is "treat time." Enjoy your treat time when you have earned the 20%. I promise you that it really tastes much better.