#Mamavation~ What's your inspiration?

Do you ever feel like your on a constant roller coaster & that life is passing you by...quickly?  That is how I've been feeling lately.  As well as one of the many reasons why I haven't been as active as I would have liked with the other Mamavation moms.  I really feel like the last two weeks went by as quick as one day normally does. I often wonder how do we, as moms, do it all.  The cooking, cleaning, supporting our spouse, all the kids after school activities, and if were lucky take a little time, besides grocery shopping, for ourselves.

Which brings be up to the topic of the week.....whats your inspiration.

I don't feel like any one thing or any one person is my "inspiration"  but, rather the entire net-work of people I have met thanks to Mamavaion as well as AdvoCare.  Its all the wonderful people who I have met & saw with the same struggles that I have had who inspire me on a daily bases.  Some of those individuals had more struggles & while others had less, but no matter who you were or what your goal to accomplish for the week was, none of us gave up.  We all work every day to pick each other up on the bad days & to cheer each other on during the good ones.  I've been one who has given up one too many times in my past. At the beginning of the year one of my resolutions was to never ever again be the one who sees a road block & to use that as an excuse.  Instead, I told myself,  I would be the person who finds a way around, that road block, & get to the finish line.  So far, with that thinking & by admitting the faults that I have, I am now closer than ever to the final stretch.  I owe that all to you.  Each and everyone of my readers & online friends work together, with out ever knowing it inspiring me to be the best person possible. 

As some of you know over the past 3 months (72 days) I took part in Advocare 24 Transformation challenge. and also given an amazing opportunity to join AdvoCare. By joining the company, I was able to see, and learn for myself what the company was all about.   I don't want to use this as a sales pitch, (don't worry, that will come soon) but rather I want to tell you that my results are great! During the challenge I was given support from a dear friend, Jamie, as well as from a local gym TNT fitness, now I want to point out that I did not workout at this gym.  Simply Derek Toshner, the owner, is a true believer in the products, and he uses them himself. With both Jamie & Derek's guidance I learned the value in food.  I began eating a cleaner diet, which most of you know that already, but I also realized that I was not getting nearly enough protein in my system. I did take a few supplements, such as meal replacement shakes, which I now LOVE.  These shakes were my lifesaver on the days when time was running short & I normally would have skipped the meal.   They also reminded me about the good fats vs. bad fats and how to sneak veggies into almost any dish.  In fact, Jamie gave me a cookbook where every recipe from your main dish to your desserts have a vegetable incorporated into the recipe.  Derek also shared with me his 8 rules for healthy living (which a lot are like the ones from Mamavaion .... Such as NO alcohol...ya that was a hard one.
1) 1/2 body weight in water or tea daily
2) 2 fruits a day
3) 4 cups vegetables a day
4) 1 gram fiber for every 50 calories
5) increase the omega 3
6) increase protein to 1/3-1/2 body weight in grams daily
7) Keep a journal for habits
8) 8 hours of sleep

I'll be completely honest when I say that it took me until around month 2 to finally get the hang of everything.  Taking the vitamins and the Dietary supplements was the easy part.  Working out and keeping the journal was the hard part.  Once I became accountable for the food I was ingesting, I started to see all the results that were promised.  Sure, I cheated once in a while, such as on St. Patrick's day I enjoyed a few drinks.  But I was more aware of it, and was sure to compensate the following day.  I'm not going to sit here & tell you that it was only these products though that helped me get the results you are about to see.

I also had an fantastic option of joining some of my fellow mamavation moms to do a 2 week workout challenge that was created by Mr. Bookieboo himself.  This challenge definitely helped kick up the workouts for the last two weeks of the Advocare Challenge.  By eating healthy, doing all the workouts I was able to drop 5#s alone in the two weeks of the Mamavation 2 week challenge. (please note that the "before" pic is not the original one taken for the AdvoCare challenge, try as I may I couldn't locate it so these are "before pics taken about 3 weeks in)

So....drum roll please.....

So...if you are keeping tabs this means I have lost a total of....

24 pounds!!! and 23 inches!!!

I am still speechless.  It takes a lot to get me that way & these result are amazing.  As you know, I already faced several hurdles along the way.  My brother suffered a brain injury, I was sick, in a car accident and just dealing with life in general.  If I can get these results with all those obstacles nothing will stop me.  Starting the Monday after Easter I am jumping in again, with the hope of dropping another 24 pounds. 

A Matter of Trust: A Mia Quinn Mystery

A Mia Quinn Mystery

By Lis Wiehl, with April Henry
Published by Thomas Nelson

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

When life is murder, who can you trust?
One minute Mia Quinn is in her basement, chatting on the phone with a colleague at the prosecutor’s office. The next minute there’s a gunshot over the line, and Mia listens in horror as her colleague and friend Colleen bleeds to death.
Mia’s a natural for heading up the murder investigation, but these days she has all she can do to hold her life together. As a new widow with a pile of debts, a troubled teenaged son, and a four-year-old who wakes up screaming at night, she needs more time with her family, not less—and working Colleen’s case will be especially demanding. But Colleen was her friend, and she needs to keep her job. So she reluctantly teams up with detective Charlie Carlson to investigate Colleen’s death. But the deeper they dig, the more complications unfold—even the unsettling possibility that someone may be coming after her.
Lis Wiehl’s signature plot twists and relatable characters shine in this absorbing series debut . . . with an intriguing cameo from her best-selling Triple Threat series.

IN MY OPINION:

As a recent widow Mia now has to play both mom & dad to her teenage son as well as her 4 yr old daughter.  Now raising her kids on her own Mia discovers that her husband was not the man she thought he was.  She was left to discover that he was not as well off in the finance department as he lead her to believe ranking up high credit card bills.   Leasing a vehicle way out of their budget and she is now is faced with the fact that she may never get out of debt.

On top of this she is also a full time prosecutes in the DAs office.  While on the phone with her co worker & best friend she listens as her friend is shot dead.  Mia is used to working with murder investigation but she soon discovers that its not as easy to investigate her friends murder.  She is also paired with a homicide detective whom she feels is untrustworthy.  Charlie isn't always the first to follow procedures by the book.  But he proves himself over & over again to Mia as they face hurdles with every lead they have. She also asks him to help her with another case that she wants to take on.  Its a case that involves a boy who committed suicide in response to cyber bullying. 


I am so impressed with Lis Wiehl for this amazing book.  I could not put it down as it kept me pulled to the pages each and every turn.   I personally love a good crime scene show & as I read it felt like I was watching a great movie.  Also,this book had modern day issues such as Face Book, and cyber bullying.  I recommend this book to anyone who likes to solve a crime.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Tuesday's Book Nook

From the Author:

Ethan and Sophie long to share a future together. But the secrets they’re not sharing could tear them apart.
Sophie Caldwell has returned to Hickory Ridge, Tennessee after years away. Despite the heartaches of her childhood, Sophie is determined to make a home, and a name, for herself in the growing town. A gifted writer, she plans to resurrect the local newspaper that so enchanted her as a girl.
Ethan Heyward’s idyllic childhood was shattered by a tragedy he has spent years trying to forget. An accomplished businessman and architect, he has built a majestic resort in the mountains above Hickory Ridge, drawing wealthy tourists from all over the country.
When Sophie interviews Ethan for the paper, he is impressed with her intelligence and astounded by her beauty. She's equally intrigued with him but fears he will reject her if he learns about her shadowed past. Just as she summons the courage to tell him, Ethan’s own past unexpectedly and violently catches up with him, threatening not only his life but their budding romance.

My Review:

This has been the first book that I have been able to review written by Dorothy Love.  Let me tell you, it was well worth the wait!  Upon starting the first chapter I became aware that this was in fact book 3 (the final) of Hickory Ridge Series.  However, Dorothy did such a fantastic job with her descriptions of all the characters that I immediately felt drawn into the town of Hickory Ridge and the people who lived there.
I fell in love with Sophie immediately.  She came back to a town that she felt judged her while she was a child growing up in an orphanage to restore the towns newspaper.  She faces many challenges while trying to get her life & career back in order, none of which slows her down.  It was during one of her first journalistic interviews that she meets Ethan.
I liked the fact that each character makes assumptions about different situations around them & each assumption is proven wrong.  It even had me, the reader, starting assume situations to not be what they were.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good simple romance.

 Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

#MamavationMonday~Here's to Finally Seeing Results

Up until today I have never heard of Roni Noone but thanks to today's subject on Mamavation I was able to see how wonderful & insightful Roni is.  Like Roni I like to come up with lite recipes, but its hard to do with the picky eaters that I have in my home.  I was so excited when told that she has two picky eaters (and a picky husband) like I do, that I couldn't click over to her web site fast enough Greenbites Roni has come up with so many fun & exciting recipes that I can not wait to try.  The first on my list is her Mexican Pizza!  It looks just as yummy as it sounds & I think it will please all the picky eaters in my home.  My husband loves all things Mexican & both my daughters love pizza & the fact that its thin crust it definitely has my interest.

I really truly hope that I make it home in time to tune into the Mamavation T.V show today.  I am sure that Roni has a few tricks up her sleeve as to how she was able to lose the 70#s and change her families food lifestyle.

ON TO HOW MY PAST WEEK WENT....

If you follow the Mamavation on Facebook  than you will recall that last Tuesday I was involved in a vehicle accident.  As a result my vehicle was totaled & my back was strained/sprain.  My children didn't get hurt and as all moms know that was the most important factor.  

Needless to say I couldn't workout or get any exercise at all for the rest of the week.  Or so I thought.... I reached out to my fellow Mamavation Sistas (you can find out more information about the sistahood here) who all gave me the pick up that I needed with positive words of encouragement and prayers for quick healing.  However I would like to personally thank Kia Ru.  Kia was kind enough to email me some instructions on a few different Yoga stretches that I could try to help stretch out my back.  I can not thank Kia enough for taking time out of her day to help me out.  (You can follow Kia at Bodhi Bear ; or via face book at Bodhi-Bear) This is just one of the many reasons why I LOVE this group of ladies.  Even though we have never met in person we are all always there to help each other out & lift each other up virtually. 

I also had received guidance from my other friends that I have made with AdvoCare.  They reminded me that if I wasn't moving as much I needed to focus on my water intake and that more vegetables should be eaten.  I think that with all this guidance that I received I was able to achieve a milestone this week.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE.....

 

That's right, your seeing that right.  I lost 5 pounds this week & I am ready to jump out of my skin with excitement.  I listened to all the advice.  Drank 10+ glasses of water a day (believe I felt like I was floating & living in the bathroom most days) and made sure that if I wanted a snack that I chose a vegetable like green beans when I had the chance.  I really wasn't able to do more than the Yoga moves that Kia suggested.  I also got the 8 hours of sleep that is recommended. It helped that my husband stepped up last week & took care of more things around the house so that I could heal.


Start weight 208#
Current weight 198.3#

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Weight Loss Tools

THIS WEEKS GOAL

1) not gain weight

2) continue with the yoga & strengthen my back

3) continue with the water intake

  

“This post is sponsored by Roni Noone and Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway”