Be Your OWN Action Figure

Avocados are delicious, but did you know they could also help curb your appetite? They are fortunately available YEAR ROUND. According to a recent study,  those who ate half an avocado with lunch felt 28% less of a desire to eat more in the 5 hours following the meal. But, that’s not all avocados can do for you. Here are a few more of their benefits! 1. They are high in monounsaturated fats. The types of fatty acids in the avocado help reduce inflam mation (great if you have arthritis) and can lower your risk for heart diseas e.  When it comes to nutritional impact, you can think of the avocado as your life-of-the-party pal. Its creamy, butter-replacing texture is loaded with healthy fat, and the benefits of good fat cover all the essentials, from your heart to your brain to your skin and even weight management. Read on for more benefits. 2. They help with the absorption of two antioxidants: lycopene and beta-carotene if you’re enjoying a salad or salsa. 3. Th...

Today I danced! I danced again! I am on day 4 of Country Heat, a 30min Beachbody workout program set to heart pumping, foot stomping country music. Today I repeated my routine from yesterday because you repeat to improve on your last attempt. I published the workouts in a previos blog if you are interested in the order! Here's a snippet of me doing a move called the Giddy Up, just like the name of the routine - I love this simple move for that reason alone but it's fun to bounce and skip! There's also a fun booty shake and then I included a quick "roundup" of 2 moves as Autumn Calabrese and her dancers demonstrate so you can see how cool it looks all in a line, together:    Trade Perfection for Authenticity Don't worry about being the best at everything & being perfect. When you are authentic, the vast majority of people will like & appreciate you. The ones that don't are jerks & you don't need them anyway! Reveal yourse...

Wonky Feet, by definition below, are misaligned or crooked feet....see explanation and visual aid:   In Country Heat, there is a workout on Day 3 (today, for me) called Giddy Up and the next to last move is called "wonky feet". It reminds me of the roaring 20's and the dance the flapper girls would do but this has a slight variation and moves quickly....it AIN'T easy :) I got it!! It took slow moves building up faster and the right shoes to allow me to move on the ball of my feet but here I am!! This last Sunday we did the same routine at Beachbody's Super Sunday with over 1100 in attendance....it was a very large line dance! Such fun! No one did it perfectly be we all helped each other learn. The brain is really melodramatic. When you feel some strong emotion, it tends to come with this foreboding sense of “forever-ness.” Or at least you imagine you’ll feel insecure for a really long time. Obviously you’re not going to feel silly dan...

You have complete control over the direction that the rest of your life takes.            ~Jeff Olson, The Slight Edge My podcast today was James Wedmore’s  Mind your business Podcast and although he puts it out there for entrepreneurs, it’s motivation and instruction for life in general as well - we all will lead someone at some point! He had an analogy of our lives at a particular point when you might feel overwhelmed or insecure….He said to picture a sonar, like on a ship or submarine….it’s a small screen but you can see where you are and what is in the area. Now take it and blow it up larger….life size. Expand it to see that what you want to happen can come from the most unlikely of places…..and you can go in any direction. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and when I am, I get fatigued, I have to stop and find a balance and clarity. Sometimes it’s quiet I seek and sometimes I need to get lost in a tv drama or old movie I’ve seen...

Effort. It matters more than most people want to admit. Effort is the great equalizer.  What matters is the effort you put into your work. Monday’s need a motivating quote - you come off od the weekend with exasperation…..and stare Monday morning in the face when the alarm goes off. Mine went off at 6:00a (later than some, earlier than most) I walk 3 miles at White Rock Lake 3x a week and even though it’s only a few miles from my house, there’s morning traffic to deal with plus just getting the brain and body going! I started a 3-day refresh today as part of my own Country Heat Kickstart challenge for the next 30days. The 3 day refresh detoxifies and cleanses, while supporting your metabolism with easy-to-prepare, nutritious whole food (vegan) to help your vital organs re-energize. That's why I feel so good when I do the 3DR, and I lose weight at the same time! My body functions more efficiently, and it helps burn fat. My tummy gets flatter and it definitely keeps me motivated to k...

Just a reminder that my 21 Day Fix  & 21 Day Fix Extreme Challenge group starts Monday, 4/18! I can hardly wait to get back to my workouts after the Ultimate Refresh for the last 21 day but I will say I feel great! If you want to participate in this 42 day challenge group you must order the programs from Team Beachbody: http://bit.ly/21_DFCP   and http://bit.ly/21DF_Xbasic .   With the 21 Day Fix meal plan and workout, trainer Autumn Calabrese blends simple food choices that take the guesswork out of losing weight with easy-to-follow workouts that can fit into anyone’s schedule. For 21 days, you’ll learn healthy new habits and lose up to 15 pounds. If you keep them up, you’ll NEVER have to diet again! The program includes six 30 minute workouts, a portion-controlled nutrition system, and FREE & LIVE daily coaching by me! Autumn ramps up the intensity with the 21 Day Fix Extreme to help you shed off those final pounds and ...

I have noticed that things certainly get harder as I get older. Being brave seems harder, losing a contest, making friends, getting out of bed after rigorous exercise the day before, admitting to being wrong..... the list goes on and on. Most of the time it's hard because we have to step out of our comfort zone. We like our comfort zone....it's familiar! It surrounds us 80% of the time on average and we are productive and useful on our comfort zone. Stepping away from it is hard. Over the last few months I have had to venture into territory that was unknown to me. I left a job that rewarded me with an 8-12hrs daily scheduled routine and the free time it allowed me was always filled with things I had to make up for with family, friends, and my own needs. I became "unemployed" and self employed at the very same time which meant that I now set the schedule  and I now depended on myself for social interaction and networking and making friends as the  previous  venu...