Living Your Life on Purpose

I've had an incredibly wonderful and eye opening weekend and because of that I've made a decision... 

I refuse to be defined by my limitations or so called set backs in life!!!

NOTHING holds me back... NOTHING!

Would you like to now more about the thoughts behind that statement??? Well stick around folks because I will not lay down and let life decide for me what I am. 

I get comments a lot like "oh you have so much burden placed upon you and I just don't know how you handle it as well as you do"... 

Well sure I do, but so do you and so does your neighbor and your sister and Mom and best friend!! I mean my trial in life is that I have a husband who hurts... Constantly and can't provide for our family. And yes we have 3 kids and I have two jobs, a house to clean, 5 people to feed and a husband to care for... 

But off the top of my head I can think of so many loved ones who have hardships to bear that I would never ever ever wish upon anyone... We are given our trials because they are specific to us and our journey. We get to look at trials as BLESSINGS that mold and shape us into the kind of humans that can help other humans just by being around us. HOW COOL IS THAT!!??

You are not defined by your struggles and trials, instead you get to choose what your life is going to be and how it is going to look. Everyday we get to choose the words we speak to ourselves. Those words are the things that define us and our relationships. If you go around telling yourself that you are sad and lonely and that no one loves you... then guess what. You will treat people as if that is how they feel about you and in turn THEY WILL FEEL that you don't want to be around them.

So when you notice that you are speaking negatively to yourself or thinking negative thoughts about your abilities or being judgmental of others here are a few tips and tricks to get out of those negative thoughts and into POSITIVITY...

1. REDIRECT- Have a statement, phrase, scripture or song ready to replace those dang thoughts and turn you to the positive. I use a song most often that reminds me that I am a child of God. Works every time.
2. PRACTICE- Figure out the top 5 negative/limiting things you say to yourself and turn them into positive declarations then say them to yourself in the mirror each morning and night as if you believed them... promise they will start to feel true to you.
i.e. "I am so messy and disorganized, I never get anything done"
turn it into... "I am a being of order. I create order wherever I go and get so much accomplished that lead me to my goals."
3. MOVE- get your body moving as soon as you feel down. Your lymphatic system can actually store negative energy and the only pump for your lymphatic system is MOVEMENT. Do a couple of jumping jacks as you say positive things to yourself or stretch a little bit. Get those juices flowing!! Getting outside helps too!!
4. SET GOALS- You are a being with divine POWER... set some goals that stretch you and excite you. Put them on a vision board and look at them daily to remind yourself of the things you are capable of. Imagine yourself taking that amazing trip with your spouse and imagine each detail...  Ideas will start to come to your mind as you do this that will help you reach that goal.
5. LOVE OTHERS- just try to serve and love as much as possible... give of yourself and you will get so much more in return. You will get what you want when you help others get what they want. It's an eternal principle!!

Pick one of these and get started right now. I promise you will find yourself being free of expectations, judgement and negativity. Move toward being the best YOU that you can be. Don't let life decide what you will be. Become what you value and love.

Do We Give Stress the POWER??

In talking with my husband last night I came to a major realization. It was one of those talks that really needed to happen yet it was super late and a bit frustrating at times because we were conversing about his health and his view of his health now and in the future.

It felt good to get everything out and while we weren't totally settled on a happy conclusion at the end I think we are both a bit more on the same page about his health and committed to searching for answers.
My realization came after I already crawled into bed.
The MAIN thing he and I could BOTH work on TOGETHER that would benefit both of our lives and not cause him to be thrown into an attack (most likely... and those of you who suffer with this nasty unpredictable disorder know exactly what I mean by that)... We could both improve and practice how we handle the STRESS LIFE hands us.
BIG PICTURE IS SIMPLE... MOST OF THE TIME WE HAVE LITTLE CONTROL OVER THE THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO US (I am not talking about the things we make happen... that I believe we have some great influence on). We ONLY have control over our reaction to those "events" and how they affect us.
We are stressed on the DAILY. We make ourselves sick because of stress. We talk about stress, we complain about stress and we end up letting stress run our lives.
How would you like to handle life with a peace and calmness? How would it feel to be able to care deeply and passionately about people, projects or events yet not get completely bent out of shape when they/it don't meet your expectations? What would you do if you had more time and energy to focus on the things you can control and let everything else work out for your good? What would that change? What could you accomplish if you weren't bogged down by stress?
Let's dive into that this week.
Follow me on Instagram and/or Facebook where I'll reveal ways you can better deal with STRESS and why having a better reaction to stressful situations would be beneficial to you and your family!!
I'm learning right along with you here... Let's ride this journey together.
What useful ways do you find that you distress or diffuse stress?

Have you heard of this wonderful Lady...

I have been reflecting on my life and how I would like to move forward and what I would like to focus on. I took a positive step this afternoon after not feeling super motivated to do much of anything for a couple days... Can we say RUT!! I played a couple of YouTube videos of Tiffany Peterson's. She is a motivational speaker/sales coach based out of Utah. I have been able to attend a couple of her events and I come away transformed each time. I thought I would share this little "nugget" as she would say, to help whoever out there needs a bit of a confidence boost to reach their goals. I love that she says "Confidence is KEY to achieving any goal or success that you want in your LIFE". How wonderful is that!!
Please enjoy her Success Tips Video

Oh man I have been off lately!!

I woke up this morning after a using my body yesterday knowing that this has got to stop in order for me to get out of a major funk. I weighed in today at 202. I cannot believe I have let myself get to this point again. I have been trying to talk nicer to myself but am in bad habits and need to get out of it. 

Today starts 4 weeks fresh with the fast metabolism diet. It is a group of support around the world as Haylie Pomroy has all things in place to support us. I even got a call today from her. It was a recording about how to support the adrenals. She also wants to see pictures of our food and encourage us to find lots of ways to enjoy food that nourishes our bodies. 

I must admit I'm a little nervous that I won't stick to the plan. I think I need to set up some acciuntability not only with myself or Adam but with others I respect and love. Maybe my cousin Lyndsi, Nikaela and Brie. I respect all these women and how they treat their bodies. 

So I'm off to eat my Phase 1 breakfast. I will choose egg whites with spinach over sprouted grain toast and blueberries. Have a great day. 

Human...

I'm human... Sometimes I pretend I'm not. I think I can float above the struggles caused by human weakness and frailty. The funny thing about this scenario is that reality ALWAYS brings me back down to earth and sometimes I crash hard. 

This picture was a month ago. I was trying to get to a certain goal weight for a dietbet I was part of. I basically starved myself all day and ran in the heat to lose 5 lbs in one day. Ha ha. Totally unhealthy I know. I signed up for the challenge and bet $100 that I would lose 4% in 4 weeks and after birthday celebrations (mine and Adams, which I didn't take into consideration when I signed up for the dietbet) I just missed the mark and was not where I needed to be. I was determined not to "cheat" but to really hit the weight. Physically I made the goal by the end of the day but mentally I think it set me up for a breakdown. I will get into this on another post but really what it came down to was that I wasn't taking care of myself emotionally or mentally so I dealt with life by turning to food for comfort. 

I have since gained almost 10 lbs (I say it's really 5 because I lost a fake 5 lbs in one day) I tried hard not to let this get me down and depressed but have just enjoyed my life the last while with my kids and summer fun. I do feel super uncomfortable in my body though. I am ready to change. 

Today I sit here and type with renewed determination. I am ready to hit my goal weight and give support to my mentality and deal with life's stressors in a positive healthy way. 

I'm starting FMD tomorrow. I will do two consecutive rounds and hopefully hit my goal weight by the end and before a business trip I will take. 

More importantly I am working through a book I found by Marianne Williamson called "A Course in Weight Loss" which gives me 21 spiritual lessons to become more in tune and connected with my highest power. It's heavy work but healing so I'm excited about it. 

I am excited to drive forward to a healthy Ashley. I recognize that where I am at right now is exactly where I need to be and I also realize I cannot and should not do this on my own. I do not regret the past only glad I get to learn from it. I have a great support system and desire to conquer but most importantly I have a loving God who will aid me and help me along my way. What support do you have in place to catapult you to your health goals?  I would love to hear what gets you motivated. 

Conquer

It feels like I'm starting all over again. I know that I'm not… Because I'm down 30 pounds but I definitely feel like I'm starting from scratch. I've let the last month go by without losing much weight or making much progress. In fact I feel that I've regressed. I have instructor program and when I've tried to I haven't been able to do it. I know this has to do with emotions. I must get control of it and figure out a way to real in the emotions. I'm so close to my goal weight do you and 30 pounds away I have to get this done I want to get this done I will feel so amazing when I get this weight off. The problem is I feel good. As far as my clothes go there fitting. Some of them are even baggie and I can make myself so cute because I'm 30 pounds down. But we can fill my belly getting bigger because of the sugar and the wheat and the snacks that just aren't good for me.I can feel my body losing energy because of the lack of fresh juicy vegetables.  I don't feel good emotionally either, I feel like things are out of control and I really despise that feeling. So here's my journey. Honest and true this is what I'm doing with and I'm sure you my reader has dealt the same thing. Let's work this through together. I'm going to start with small steps. Tomorrow is promised myself and my husband but most importantly myself because I am going to have to answer to, to not eat sugar. I'm going to try to eat healthy with no sugar is my goal tomorrow. I will also explore how to be more prepared for the next week.  I would like to also drive into what emotions are behind the feelings that I've been having and the need to eat. I will conquer this weight-loss thing I will conquer emotional over eating. It will be a daily struggle I'm sure but I will be able to implement things that help me move along. I want to be an advocate to the world for feeling healthier. 

Struggles

I have been struggling the last few weeks. I let something get me down and have been having a pity party ever since. Health wise this has been really difficult to navigate. I am a food addict and I turn to food to comfort me. Just as I was getting out of such a funk my birthday happened and then my husbands birthday and then some more personal drama. So needless to say I am searching for my solace to get me back on course. This is the start of what I believe will help each person I coach. If I can figure out how to get "unstuck" and move forward with my weight loss goals I can help anyone. Inspiration hit yesterday and this I KNOW for sure... Each day must start with the powerful 3

1: mindset meditation 

2: spirit connection 

3: movement of the body

Tapping into your inner soul and feeling your true self emerge is paramount to success. 

Let's call this your self care cubed. Just 10 minutes in each category will propel you toward your future which looks pretty bright from here. 

I commit to this tomorrow morning.