Join us for a 3 day challenge

They say it takes 3-days to make a habit, 3-days to break a habit, and three days to get back on track. Changing the way you eat requires a conscious mindset shift.

Next week a group of us are doing a 3 day program together to get back on track - debloat, kick sugar cravings, gain energy and start this school year off right!!!

The 3-Day Refresh Complete Kit includes:

Shakes for breakfast — During the 3 days, you are going to start your day with a shake 

Packed with potent superfoods,  to help improve and support all your body's vital functions, while also helping to maximize energy and maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Available in your choice of several delicious flavors, including vegan options (recommended because plant-based proteins are often easier for the body to digest during a cleanse).

VANILLA FRESH shakes for lunch and dinner — This patent-pending, delicious, and protein-rich formula helps curb your hunger with more than 20 grams of wholesome plant-based protein, 22 essential vitamins and minerals, probiotics for digestive health, and a patented potato protein extract clinically tested to satisfy your appetite.

FIBER SWEEP drink — Gently and naturally eliminates waste from your digestive system with its patent-pending blend of whole ground flax, chia, and psyllium seed husks.* As part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, Fiber Sweep can help lower cholesterol, support healthy blood sugar levels, and may even reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Because I need this jump start refresher also, I will be walking you through how this program works every day, but you also get a program guide with what to expect, and how to prepare your shopping list, as well as your body, for the 3-Day Refresh. It also contains a menu planner with numerous easy-to-make, nutritious, and delicious meals, a list of fruit and veggie options, guilt-free flavorings, and recipes for fresh-pressed juices.

The 3-Day Refresh will help you lose weight fast. But it does something even more important—it helps build your fat-burning metabolism. By nourishing your body and helping you break the cycle of bad eating habits, it can help you go on feeling those benefits for weeks to come

It is SUPER easy to follow and I am here to help you!!
Want to join us?
Just shoot me an e-mail below. 

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making lasting changes.

Hello, all you fellow moms, fighting to find your your lost strength and fitness

I’ve been sharing a lot on social media lately about my workouts - I am in week 6/8 of a program I absolutely adore, I’m getting great results and I like to share.  Today a friend walked right up behind me and didn’t even recognize me until I turned around!

But the truth is - it’s mostly not the workouts that are fueling my results!  It’s the fuel I’m putting into my body, and my new and improved relationship with food, that’s creating change.

It’s hard to describe changing your mindset!  It isn't just a menu plan, or a set of workouts to follow. It isn't about what the scale says every day, but more how you feel about yourself and how your skin fits.

Here are some of the things that are different for me:

💡I don’t feel restricted in what I can eat - no foods are off limits

💡 I don’t feel guilty when I have a treat - that’s important, because now I can have treats without overindulging because of guilt

💡 I think of what I eat in terms of what my body needs - no more eating because I “earned the calories”

💡 I am attracted to foods that make my body feel good - these are my new “comfort foods”

💡 I exercise because I love how it makes my body feel, not to try and make up for my diet

💡I never “fall off the wagon” because there is no wagon anymore.  I’m always either learning or losing.

Besides my mindset, I have lots of food knowledge and support and also a few supplements that make sure that I get all of the right nutrients, and also help me to have the energy I need to keep pushing forward.

The really crazy thing is that making a lasting change in your mindset isn’t hard.  You just need the right tools and support.  I’m looking for people who want to make the same kinds of changes I did.  Is that you?  Let’s chat today!

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Avoiding the office break room pitfalls.

This is an actual delivery to my office break room that one of the administrative angels orders every week. Sooooooo much temptation! 

I just read a study that found that on average, people take in 1,300 calories a week from the junk food that is sitting around free at work. HOLY CRAP ladies, that is a lb gained every 3 weeks!!! I was totally doing that to myself. 

I was just having a nibble here, and a candy there, and just a tiny handful of trail mix...and then I had gained 20 lbs. 

Now that I have lost that, I'm determined to never gain it back, and I've come up with a few tricks for avoiding the break room pitfalls! 

1> Stock your desk drawers with healthy yummy treats.

Dried fruit (Dried cranberries, cherries, etc)
Low-fat trail mix
Applesauce
Single serving fruit bowls (choose the variety without sweetened syrup added)
Reduced-fat or natural peanut butter to spread on a banana, an apple, pre-cut celery sticks or a Slice of whole-grain bread
Almonds (natural or roasted without salt)
Mini chocolate chips (Hint: Melt a few to make a dip to turn fruit into a special treat!)
Unsweetened cocoa or low-cal hot chocolate (Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets packets have only 25 calories, but it's so rich!)

2> Find ways to burn off some sneaky extra calories .

Ask about stand up or adjustable desks
Take a balance ball to work to sit on instead of a chair. You can build your abs while you work
Take walking meetings, ask a coworker to walk around the block with you rather than sitting in an office
Walk down the hall to ask a question, rather than sending an e-mail
Take strength bands to work, and step back and forth and side to side as you talk on the phone

3>Don't let stress-inducers like an approaching deadline or an upcoming meeting drive you to reach for food to tame tension.
Try deep breathing for just a few minutes
Have a cup of tea instead of a snack
Take a short walk
Catch up with a co-worker.

Someone is always going to bring in that leftover birthday cake, or those muffins they were experimenting on it, and if you are not prepared, those extra calories can add up to an expanding weight loss, and a scary scale fast, so make sure you are prepared and have your mindset tools to help you make it through the temptation. 

Love and Peace, 

N. 

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Flavor saturation

I've been sitting for about 45 minutes, nibbling at the leftovers of Trevor’s mutton chettinad dinner. It is this intense spicy sauce with about 20 different spices, all perfectly balanced in this fiery throat coating sauce. I just realized that I’m not even halfway through what I warmed up, and I’m perfectly satisfied. It is total flavor saturation.

Flavor saturation is a chef school term that describes the idea that either the separate dishes of a meal, or the meal as a whole must have ALL the flavors that we taste present in a balanced way. Sweetness, hotness, bitterness, tartness, saltiness, and richness ( oiliness). The result of the perfect balance is total taste bud satisfaction.

Indian food is so very satisfying, because each bite has full flavor saturation. I've been nibbling at this for half an hour now. Just enjoying the lingering flavors from small bites. It's like the difference between eating a large slab of mild cheddar, or a few small crumbles of feta.

There is probably a life lesson in there about happiness saturation, although I can't get the thoughts of that pulled together quite yet, but there is certainly a diet lesson in this.

A bite of feta or tangy bleu or grana padano instead of big slabs of mild cheddar. A wonderful tapenade, or a squeeze of lemon instead of fat laden additives. Small bits of balanced intense flavor will satisfy cravings quickly and with minimal calorie intake.

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Game night healthy makeover

Game night...If you are part of my circle, just those two words tell you that lots of yummy food will be involved...so you are thinking plates of spicy wings dripping in butter sauce and ranch,, gooey pans of homemade pizza, or big crocks of queso with all of the fixings for the make your own nachos bar. Yep, used to be me.

So,  how does a healthy fitness mom replace all of that and still keep the whole gang happy?

Introducing build your own hummus "nacho" bar.

Supersmooth hummus involves cooking beans for hours from scratch, OR this little trick :

Pour chickpeas and liquid from can into a small saucepan; stir in 1.5 tsp of baking soda per can of beans. Bring to a simmer over medium; cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes or until heated through. The baking soda softens or dissolves the peas' skins, and just rinse in cold water and drain. Be sure to use a blender; a food processor will not get the hummus this smooth. Also, for once, do not reserve the water to use pureeing, as the baking soda leaves an odd aftertaste.

Step 1
Place chickpeas, tahini, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup of good quality olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 minced garlic clove in a blender; process until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape sides as needed. Add up to 1/4 cup more water and oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed. Let stand 5 minutes.

Step 2
Heat a large skillet over medium. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion and r minced garlic cloves; cook 2 minutes, stirring often. Add ground meat of choice ( I use ground deer or turkey), cumin, coriander, crushed red pepper, and salt; cook, stirring occasionally to crumble, until meet is browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in raisins; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in parsley and remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

Step 3
Spread hummus in a thin layer on a large plate or platter; top evenly with the meat mixture, 1/2 cup of tapenade from your grocery store olive bar, and fresh parsley. Serve with vegetables, lettuce for wrapping, and fresh pita.

I promise no one will complain about the menu change.

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Oh so many hats!

"IN THE beginning, Bartholomew Cubbins didn’t have five hundred hats. He had only one hat."-Theodor Geisel 

I remember back when I just had one hat, when I was just responsible for myself. Not a boss at work, not a wife, not a mom, not a housekeeper or chauffeur or cook. To be honest, I wasn't all that great at managing just that one hat. I was vain, I was petty, I was equal parts smart, charming, sexy, and witty ...and mercurial, mutable, skittish, temperamental, uncertain, unpredictable. I was self conscious, I was bold...but only to cover that I was also scared.

As life went on, I began to gather more hats, and truth be told, I actually got better with each hat. I learned to be a good manager and leader. I became a wife, and I must be reasonably successful at that, because I'm still going strong 20+ years later.

Somewhere in that time, I took off a bunch of hats, as I left a career as a hospitality industry executive, to be a stay at home mom. I don't regret that decision ever, but it with that decision, I took off many of the hats that brought admiration and accolades, the hats with all the bells and whistles and fancy feathers, the ones that seemed to contain much of my identity. I added about 10 new hats to the collection then, and some of those hats were dusty, or tired or even painful to wear. A lot of those hats didn't come with much by way of accolades, and, I have to admit...sometimes they were very heavy.

And then there is now, 14 years later, instead of this heavy head full of hats, it feels like hats are just falling away left and right. My kids don't need dressed, they don't need me to make breakfast or their lunch. They clean their own rooms, and even do some of their own laundry. Instead of wanting all of my attention...sometimes now, all they need is a ride off to their own lives.

...and I realized, that I don't actually know what that hat that I started with looks like anymore. I don't even know if it is there for sure, and I absolutely don't know what I want the few hats that I choose to put back on look like. But all of those hats gave me a lot of courage, and even the ones I didn't like made me stronger, and I'm absolutely excited to go forward, choosing only the ones that I love, and that fit me perfectly to take into the future.

So far, I'm keeping wife, mom and friend. I'm also happily wearing my librarian hat, and my "gives back to her community" hat. I'm trying back on my chef hat, but as a nutrition coach, creating new healthy recipes. I'm also a fitness coach, and I'm starting to build a team of people to share my new hats with.

Nina, of the 500, or 100, or maybe just 10 hats. I like it.

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Sometimes as adults, we end up stuck in a financial loop. We are successful, and we have kids, so we bought nice things, and nice cars, and nice houses, and we have everything we need and more...but we also have to keep working hard to sustain that lifestyle.

My husband is incredibly successful in his career...but I don't think he loves it. It certainly isn't any dream of his. My job is great, and mostly fun, and I work with amazing people and help my community. I work 20 hours a week, and frankly, its a bit of a dream job...but I don't come close to making enough to support us if he didn't. Like I could pay our mortgage on my own, and that would be about it.

So that means my family is dependent on his success for our comfortable lifestyle, and that means he has a lot of pressure, and can't really even think about following a dream.

So my dream is to change that, while helping others, and being a positive role model to my teenagers and to other moms. But I don't just want to help them be healthy and feel better about themselves, I want to give them an opportunity to share that with others and contribute financially to their family. I want to help a mom that really wants to stay home but finances are pushing her back out into the work force to be able to spend those years at home with their kiddos.

What about you? Do you have the freedom? I'd love to share with you how I'm working towards it.

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The perfect summer salad.

For me, summer eating equals bbq, fresh fruits and veggies, and the entree salad. 

A great entree salad is all about the texture! You want chewy, and crunchy, and citrus, and sweet, and just enough dressing to keep it from being dry. Your dressing should never really need to add flavor to the salad, just to brighten it up, and make it all tie together. 

This healthy ancient grain salad is made with wild rice, farro, and red quinoa, livened up with lots of colorful extras. And you don’t have to be vegan or vegetarian to appreciate the the satisfying chew of the grains and the crunch of the celery and nuts. Dried cranberries and juicy pomegranate seeds guarantee that every bite finishes with an explosion of sweet. 

You might wonder, what ARE ancient grains? Well, they’re super healthy grains, some of which used to grow naturally, some of which fell out of fashion, and some that stopped being grown because refined flour became the most popular baking grain and was more profitable to grow. We are re-learning that they offer an important diversity that we’ve lost in our modern diets.  Many people who are gluten intolerant, are finding that they are able to tolerate the unmodified variants emmer and farro, so these can really open up a less restrictive diet for them. There are a ton of varieties that can be used to add taste and texture to your cooking. 

So, I went a bit crazy with this salad, and threw in everything but the kitchen sink. There are several things I always like to include in an entree salad. Greens other than iceberg, some type of onion for bite, some type of nut or seed for crunch, some grain for a chewy factor, and some contrast, like a sweet or crunchy fruit. 

Ingredients:

 1 cup cooked wild rice 1 cup cooked red quinoa 1 cup cooked farro 

1/4 cup toasted chopped walnuts 1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans 1/4 cup pistachios, rough chopped 

1/4 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup dried apricots,  1/4 cup golden raisins, 1/4 cup fresh pomegranate  

1 bunch thinly sliced scallions scallions and 1/4 large red onion, 

minced several small inner stalks of celery, finely diced, with the green leafy parts 

 1/2 cup olive oil 5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tsp sweet mustard salt and pepper to taste Instructions 

1. Toss all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl. 2. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and add enough to the salad to moisten everything. Reserve any unused dressing for adding right before serving if needed. 3. Cover and refrigerate until serving. The salad can be made up to a day ahead. Sprinkle with more pomegranate seeds just before serving. If you want more protein or greens add chopped spinach or chicken. 

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Salad in a Jar

Salads are one of the easiest ways for me to stick with my #veggiesmost summer eating strategy. Let's face it, moms, we all know that getting a workout in and getting yourself and everyone else ready in the morning takes every second you have. Instead of throwing a can of soup, or worse, a cup of ramen or a bar into your bag as you run out the door, why not prepare these ahead of time? 

This is super easy, and you can do a ton of variations to get just what you love in there. You just need to understand the building of the salad, and then you can change it up at will. 

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. raw honey (or pure maple syrup)
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil extra virgin
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 4 cups sliced cucumbers
• 4 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 3 cups grilled chicken breast boneless, skinless, sliced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

1. To make dressing, combine vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in a medium bowl; whisk to blend.
2. Add mustard; mix well.
3. Slowly add oil while whisking; mix well. Evenly divide dressing between 4 one-quart Mason jars. Set aside.
4. Evenly layer quinoa, cucumbers, tomatoes, chicken, and cheese on top of dressing in jars. 
5. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Shake before serving. 
6. Variations: add fresh baby spinach, avocado, leftover corn chopped off the cob, sub beans for quinoa, sub tuna for chicken...make it your own, and enjoy! 
7. bonus picture below for picnicking with family or friends. I use a dry erase marker and write everyone's name on the jar. 

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Fall in love with taking care of yourself. Mind. Body. Spirit.

When I was 14, I had control over little in my life. My weight was one thing I could control, and I went to college weighing exactly 102 lbs. I actually lost 2 lbs that year, while everyone else was gaining the freshman 15.

When I look at Zoe and Maya, eating tons, but bodies super healthy, because they eat right and exercise...well, if you have ever been there,you get it. Here is my Maya, totally proud of her own body, not at all self conscious or worried as so many other girls her age are.
Zoe is comfortable in any clothing, but also doesn't feel the need to reveal any more of it that she wants ( p.s., Zoe is not in these pics because she was at a sleepover, and not because she isn't an equal part of all this).

I wish I could explain to you, as an ex bulimic, what it means to give that to them, to have gotten my personal crap dealt with in time for them to not see me standing in a mirror picking myself apart. All it took for me, was for Zoe to tell me that it was not anything in her head, but the things she heard coming out of my mouth about myself that made her start looking for negative things about her own body. I stopped that day.

I don't look in the mirror and see perfect. I know I have plenty still to go, (and the shirt is a joke from a friend, it's our newest all Spanish program), but I think my smile says it all about how I am feeling.

I'm sharing this with you, because I know there are other moms out there, looking miserably in the mirror, wishing they felt better...and your daughter is behind you, watching that, starting to create her own body image impressions. I want to help give you the tools to make those impressions positive.

If you are interested in making some changes, ask us how in the comments. 

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Choose Happiness

I'm just back from an amazing 18 gay vacation, where I just let myself check out from the news, and anger, and frustration, and anything that made me unhappy. You see, part of me, the subconscious Nina, thinks that all must be right in the world for you to be happy. But this last year has been a real journey for me, towards physical, and I guess even better mental health. I took in all the trip had to offer, and just practiced being completely happy. I ran across this post by Sir Richard Burton, and it said everything I wanted to. Please share it on...because we all need to hear this. 

"Dear Stranger,

You don’t know me but I hear you are going through a tough time, and I would like to help you. I want to be open and honest with you, and let you know that happiness isn’t something just afforded to a special few. It can be yours, if you take the time to let it grow.

It’s OK to be stressed, scared and sad, I certainly have been throughout my 66 years. I’ve confronted my biggest fears time and time again. I’ve cheated death on many adventures, seen loved ones pass away, failed in business, minced my words in front of tough audiences, and had my heart broken.

I know I’m fortunate to live an extraordinary life, and that most people would assume my business success, and the wealth that comes with it, have brought me happiness. But they haven’t; in fact it’s the reverse. I am successful, wealthy and connected because I am happy.

So many people get caught up in doing what they think will make them happy but, in my opinion, this is where they fail. Happiness is not about doing, it’s about being. In order to be happy, you need to think consciously about it. Don’t forget the to-do list, but remember to write a to-be list too.

Kids are often asked: ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ The world expects grandiose aspirations: ‘I want to be a writer, a doctor, the prime minister.’ They’re told: go to school, go to college, get a job, get married, and then you’ll be happy. But that’s all about doing, not being – and while doing will bring you moments of joy, it won’t necessarily reward you with lasting happiness.

Stop and breathe. Be healthy. Be around your friends and family. Be there for someone, and let someone be there for you. Be bold. Just be for a minute.

If you allow yourself to be in the moment, and appreciate the moment, happiness will follow. I speak from experience. We’ve built a business empire, joined conversations about the future of our planet, attended many memorable parties and met many unforgettable people. And while these things have brought me great joy, it’s the moments that I stopped just to be, rather than do, that have given me true happiness. Why? Because allowing yourself just to be, puts things into perspective. Try it. Be still. Be present.

For me, it’s watching the flamingos fly across Necker Island at dusk. It’s holding my new grandchild's tiny hands. It’s looking up at the stars and dreaming of seeing them up close one day. It’s listening to my family’s dinner-time debates. It’s the smile on a stranger’s face, the smell of rain, the ripple of a wave, the wind across the sand. It’s the first snow fall of winter, and the last storm of summer. It’s sunrise and sunset.

There’s a reason we’re called human beings and not human doings. As human beings we have the ability to think, move and communicate in a heightened way. We can cooperate, understand, reconcile and love, that’s what sets us apart from most other species.

Don’t waste your human talents by stressing about nominal things, or that which you cannot change. If you take the time simply to be and appreciate the fruits of life, your stresses will begin to dissolve, and you will be happier.

But don’t just seek happiness when you’re down. Happiness shouldn’t be a goal, it should be a habit. Take the focus off doing, and start being every day. Be loving, be grateful, be helpful, and be a spectator to your own thoughts.

Allow yourself to be in the moment, and appreciate the moment. Take the focus off everything you think you need to do, and start being – I promise you, happiness will follow.

Happy regards,

Richard Branson"

This piece was contributed by Richard to help raise money for MIND, a Mental Health Organisation.
https://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/how-be-happy

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About setting goals and self-limiting beliefs:

You guys, I get a little squirrelly when it comes to goals.  This is a little weird, because for most of my life I’ve been considered a high achiever, but things like degrees and academics and even keeping the house organized come pretty easy to me.  These last few months I’ve been working on two things that really challenge me - losing weight, and building a business.  

Everyone knows losing weight is hard.  I’ve been working hard at it - but I’ve also been hedging my bets and refusing to set a timeline.  Ostensibly this is because my body doesn’t always respond the way I want it to in the time frame that I want - but if I dig a little deeper, it’s because I’m giving myself permission not to go all in.  To skip tracking my food for a few days.  To eat those couple of Oreos.  Because what happens if I don’t meet the goal in the timeline I set?  That’s where things get really deep here - I am NOT a person who doesn’t meet goals, I’m a high achiever.  

This is a self-limiting belief and IT IS HOLDING ME BACK.  So I’m going to go out on a limb right now and publicly do something that makes me really uncomfortable.  I’m going to set a weight loss goal.  An additional 20 lbs before the Warrior Dash on September 15.  It’s a totally doable and reasonable goal but if I don’t work at it it won’t happen - so I’m saying it with all of you as my witnesses.  No squirrels.  Just hard work.  

Do you have self limiting beliefs that are keeping you from making progress with your health goals?  Let’s talk.  We can work on this together

#goingallin #gotgoals #autismmom #autismworld #loveyourbodyagain #skinnyninjapants 

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Mostly Ordinary

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Menopause, and finding your fit.

Most women get to menopause sometime in their late 50's...if they are lucky, even their mid 60's. My menopause journey began at 45. 

Two years ago, I had massive health issues, I had days when it was all I could do to walk up my stairs, exhausted, and constantly in pain, with terrible IBS issues. A first search found large fibroids bursting, and a further search found a tumor in my ovary, the bad kind. I had a full hysterectomy, and I was actually so excited, because I thought I would get my health back.

But then a whole different set of problems began, and I was thrown into full menopause at 46. I didn't even know who I was. I was unrecognizable to myself. Tired, angry, flashes of rage, crying for no reason, hot flashes, insomnia and so overwhelmed. I went to my Dr. for hormones, and instead she prescribed an antidepressant. I was shocked, I was like " I'm not crazy, I don't need that!" Terrified of the stigma. but within a week of taking it, my symptoms started to get better, and in a month, I recognized myself again, and I understood that about half of what I was experiencing was more related to depression from the actual symptoms. Taking the pills allowed me to overcome the depression. It was only then, that I began to be able to fix my health issues.

But I still found that what I had done before menopause to lose weight was useless now. I found an incredible program called 2Bmindset. It taught me to change how I ate to reflect the metabolism I had now. It told me not just what I needed to eat, but when and why ( like no carbs at night...because I don't need energy then), and slowly my lbs started coming off. Everyone around me started knowing the phrases #waterfirst and #veggiesmost, as that became the cornerstone of my diet. Don't worry, I didn't have to become a vegetarian, I just changed what my plate looked like.  I'm not on a diet, and I'm never left hungry. Then I added weight training, and cardio, and upped my yoga game. 

Some days, my eating is perfect, my workout is on point, and I get lots of sleep...and the scale barely moves. Some days, I have chocolate, and bread, and wine...and the scale barely moves. I never lose 5 lbs in a week, or 20 lbs in a month. But I do keep moving forward, bit by bit, fitting in to old clothes again, seeing the scale go down, seeing the inches disappear. 

I've lost weight faster before, but it always comes back, because I'm impatient, and I'm doing things that ARE NOT SUSTAINABLE. I'm going slow and steady now, taking off the 1-2 lbs a week. Sometimes I gain a little back, because I'm building muscle, but my measuring tape shows me I'm still losing inches. I love how strong I am now, and much I've learned about myself and my body.

I'm 20 lbs down from last October, when I first started getting my act back together, but I've really seen the changes in my body from March 24th through now. It took finding the right plan for the body I have now. 

If you would like more information about the program I'm using, just leave a comment. 

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Flowers and Weeds

Sometimes, I feel sorry for those that live around me.  Not because I have kids who like to play outside with their outside voices, or dogs who keep the yard squirrel-free, or chickens who will proudly announce the arrival of a freshly laid egg with a loud chicken squawk!  All of those bring me great joy!  I am that neighbor who's home is tucked in-between those with the perfectly manicured yards, but has all the weeds.  If you saw my yard, it might surprise you to know I love gardening.  I love growing vegetables and eating the bounty of the good earth.  I love studying the blossoms of fragrant roses.  I find weeding oddly therapeutic.
Despite all this, I have a yard that likely embarrasses the neighbors and possibly drives down home prices on my block.  The beauty of my yard is in small sections.  One rose bush in bloom, one planter that is overflowing with herbs, one peony that is drooping over from the weight of pink flowers.  I would love to have that perfectly manicured yard free of weeds, dead patches of lawn and flowers arranged perfectly.  Instead I have grass growing in the flower garden, arugula growing in the driveway, weeds coming up from the rocks and chicken-wire around the vegetable garden to keep the bunnies away.
Tending to my yard is a lot to tending to myself.  I have big dreams for who I should be and what I should be doing.  And in my quest to try to make it all happen, I also have a lot of weeds in my life.  I realize that my quest and goals might be too big.  I will likely never be as educated on current events as I hope, I will run late, my laundry will never be done, and I will miss some swim meets that my children are competing in.  I will eat junk food, sleep less than 8 hours a night, forget birthdays and skip workouts.  With all my weeds, I still have some great beauty in my life.  In my quest for the perfectly manicured lawn, I learning to not to be too disappointed in the weeds.    

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No one can do it alone...at least I couldn't.

Someone asked me the other day what my plan was when I hit my weight loss goals. I think I said something flip about shopping. But my real plan, the vulnerable one? To start seeing what everyone else sees now. To look in the mirror and see what I have achieved, instead of that old body that I left behind, the one I hated, the one that I called names, and treated crappy, and that wasn't happy. That is happening bit by bit, every day! But it never would have happened without them.

These are the women that keep me moving forward, the reason that I'm succeeding this time, when I've always backslid before. The people who hold me accountable, give me advice, share recipes, give me tough love when I'm making excuses, and share my journey. We are all at different places physically, and even in many different places geographically, but I'm so glad I don't have to do this without them.

These are the women that gave me the confidence to have the goal of helping others feel this amazing, and give me the courage to know I can help, even though I'm still working towards where I want to be.

Do you have a success group? If not, do you want to share mine? 

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