Seriously...I'm going to talk about consistency? Sheesh...

I know I've been silent for about a week. I've been taking my nutrition final exam. It seems like my life has been consumed by this test. But I'm finally come out of the cave and seeing light. Spring is in the air and yes, we fired up the hot tub twice this week to celebrate.

All of the reading and studying and mathematical equations to remember while I'm working with people to become a confident in their skin, is going to pay off. But I would not have been able to do it without being consistent.

I know, insert eye roll...everything is about consistency. Consistency is important in every aspect of our life. If I'm not consistent in taking my kids to school, they don't do well in school. If I don't make dinner every day for my family...they don't eat (ha! I doubt that...but you get my point!). If I am not consistent in my diet, I will not get consistent results in my weight loss or gain. If I don't go to the gym 5 days a week every week, I risk losing the muscle I've worked so hard to obtain.

I think you get my point...

Being consistent means to you have a measurable goal. You have to work at something on a regular basis to see the results. A good visual example of this is an onion. It starts as a seedling.

And grows into the beautiful onion we buy at the store. (Organic of course!)

As you can see, the onion grows in layers based upon being consistent in watering, good nutrients in the soil and sunlight. If one of these elements is missing, you will not have the beautiful layers of the onion.
So it is true about our efforts with nutrition and exercise. This is where we all fall off the diet and exercise wagon. Life is hard, workouts are hard to commit to. But if you truly want to change, to make yourself the best you can be, you have to be consistent.

Consistency also allows you to be accountable for your actions. I know, you're thinking...hold on Meg, how on earth is this possible?  Well...let me explain...

First, dictionary.com defines consistency as this:

1. a degree of density, firmness, viscosity, etc.
2. steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc.
3. agreement, harmony or compatibility, especially correspondence or uniformity among the parts of a complex thing.
4. the condition of cohering or holding together and retaining form; solidity or firmness.

 This is amazing! Don't we all want to be dense and firm?! Don't we all want to have uniformity among the parts of complex things (our bodies)?! Don't we all want to be able to hold on to that form that we have worked so hard to achieve?! lol. I make jokes, but isn't this true?

One of my last writings, I wrote about your calendar as your boss. These two things, I feel go hand in hand. We are human beings and naturally have a routine. If you say you don't, take a hard look at your routine. You do. We are also people who like to be orderly and organized. Those that are not, are usually frazzled or tend to procrastinate. (ooohhh...I'm taking about me. I am organized...but I could definitely be more organized!)

Here's the good news! We are made to have routines. And a routine is being consistent. Look at what you are being consistent at in your life. Are you being consistent at not making dinner and going out to eat a lot? What are your results? Are you working hard at your business and building clients? What are your results? Are you at the gym every day? Or 3 times a day? What are your results?

It's time to really look at your life and see what you are consistent at at this very moment. Ask yourself, What can I commit to? Be true to yourself. Just because I workout a lot, and I love weight lifting does not mean that you do! Find what you love. Explore! There are so many different ways to exercise. Do something you love or that you have a passion for. Discover something new. I think we are going to take our kids rock climbing soon. This is something neither of them have tried. I know new things can be scary, but what if...what if you find a new love that changes the way you live your life?!

I would love to hear about what you have found! Not only do I want to hear it, but I want to be motivated by it. Please share your experiences with trying new things in the comments below. Nothing motivates me more than hearing your stories!

Until the next blog...

Balance as a Mom, Gym Rat and Business Owner

Sometimes I feel like  Gumby...Stretched all over the place. Especially as a mom. I've talked before about how much we do as moms. Yesterday, we celebrated Easter with our family. With family time and the obligations of my daily life...the gym, food prep, the kids, my business, my clients, my husband, the house, the laundry. I feel my life is in chaos.

I have had to ask myself what chaos actually is. I think this image sums up how I feel.

Chaos is the lack of order, or balance in our life. As I am preparing for weekly team call that I lead each week, my business topic for them is to become orderly in the chaos. What does that mean? Sometime our lives feel unstable. We just don't know how to respond to outside stimuli or we don't respond well to something that is not in our daily routine.

How do we know what our daily routine is unless we HAVE a daily routine? It seems like lately, everywhere I turn, I see things pointing to balance...and yes...there is an oil for that. Having a healthy balance in my life looks different every day. And for that matter, every hour. Things pop up so quickly in my daily routine and sometimes, they are unexpected. Those time suckers can cause me to spiral down into losing hope of getting anything accomplished for the day.

I have found that getting organized is as simple as being disciplined to use my calendar. Someone once told me that I don't have a physical boss. But my boss is my calendar. I thought that was funny at first...insert the eye roll. The only boss I have is MYSELF! Yep...I am the boss, the boss of chaos. lol.

So I decided to use my calendar. Balance my life by giving one of my obligations of trying to remember everything this family and my career needs...and do you know what happened? It was amazing.

It freed me up to let things happen. Let my creative mind be free, within these calendar boundaries. As children, we needed boundaries. And we wanted to know what those boundaries were. That's why we tested the waters...to see how far we could go before our parents put their foot down.

This IS human nature at it's best. So as adults, where are our boundaries? Well, as said before...in our calendar. So here is some advice, from one busy mom to another. When you are putting your calendar together think about these 6 steps:

1. Make sure you are setting realistic goals for the day. Don't set yourself up for disappointment. Don't try to cram everything in if it doesn't fit. Put the things in that are the most important to accomplish for the day first. Picking up the kids and going to the gym are the most important thing for me each day.

2.Schedule the important things that tend to get left out each day. YEP...I schedule my gym time each day. Yep...it's in my calendar. Yep...I get notifications to get away from my computer so I can take care of myself!

3. Keep a list of the things I need to do for the day and PHYSICALLY cross them out once they are accomplished. I'm not going to lie...sometimes I do a little dance. There is no better feeling than crossing something off your list. I feel so empowered!

4. If you don't complete a task, don't bang your head on the wall, just write it in to tomorrows list. And remember, be flexible!

5. Keep your calendar with you at all times. I love my calendar on my phone, but I make sure it's on my physical, paper calendar at home as well. And I always use a pencil. You just never know when you are going to have to reschedule something.

6. And my favorite rule...Don't forget to schedule some personal time. Whatever that looks like for you. Maybe it's to read a book. Or to pray. Or do yoga. For me, it's the gym. Find what you like to do...and do it. Even if it's for just 10 minutes.

When we follow these guidelines, we can be focused on the present, knowing that our brains are not trying to remember a million things at once.

Now, for me...I've used up my blog time in my schedule...now off to the gym for ME time!

Until the next blog...

Your Body Is a Temple...Treat it Like One

I think I have always been a lover of all things natural or organic but it wasn't until I began doing my own research into the products that were in my home that I discovered more than I wanted to know about the unnatural things that were invading my home.

And I felt about like this...

I felt like I needed to call gostbusters to come an eradicate the things that were making me and my family sick. My poor children were in and out of the doctor's office on a regular basis. And when Spring and Fall hit...whoah!! Asthma hit us like a freight train and never let go.

After my son was born, I was hit with an autoimmune disease that would come and go. I was told by one doctor that I just needed sleep and to get a better bed. So I did. But my problems came back a few years later. At it's worse, I had another doctor tell me that there was no pill for what I had. Honestly, I didn't want a pill. I wanted to know what I had. And what was going on with my body. What could I avoid when I was having flair ups.

I have discovered many natural solutions for our problems. Natural supplements, essential oils and of course...nutrition.

Let me first say that I LOVE essential oils. I have loved sharing and teaching about the oils. It has given me the freedom to be with my family and discover the things that I love doing. I use my supplements on a regular basis to help me with my 2 hour workouts. And the deep blue rub is always in my workout bag for my occasional aches and pains.

If you have ever wondered how essential oils work let me tell you!!

Each oil has it's own genetic make up that consists of cells. These cells are made up of molecules that have a positive or negative ion attached. Each molecule is able to cross the cell membrane of each 70-100 trillion cells in your body. One...little...drop. AMAZING! It is able to cross the barrier by dropping an ion or picking one up. This is how they know where to go. And our body is receptive to it.

Not only are these oils able to move rapidly through your body, but they are balancing agents. What in the world is a balancing agent, you might ask?

Balance is the key to life. Our bodies thrive on balance. This is why it is so important to eat properly. It does not matter if you drink a pink drink, take or a pill to burn fat, or that meal replacement shake to lose weight...if your body is not balanced, you will not lose weight. It will all come back...think yo yo dieting.

 When we think about a scale, it has two sides. When we look at our bodies, we are the same. In order for our bodies to function, the balance must be even. In nutrition, the scale is nutrition and exercise. And honestly, we are talking about a measly 250 calories to off set our balance. 250 calories is not much...especially when you look at what 250 calories looks like.

from www.foodnetwork.com Eat This or That

Balancing out bodies is not just about diet and exercise. Our bodies have an amazing way of showing us it is out of balance. When I evaluate people for a nutritional weight loss routine, I have been trained to look at where the fat is accumulating. Where it is on your body correlates to how your body copes with stress.

Quick fixes are like band-aids that do not attack the root of the problem. I spend time with my clients to find the limiting factors that are holding them back. You have two choices...dwell in your problem, or find a way to resolve it. Move on.

I use and recommend essential oils to help calm and relax the body. Lavender is an amazing oil and is one step towards releasing and allowing the body to become balanced. Only then, can we focus on losing weight.

There are many stressors in life. Each person has different ways to cope.  During stressful time, what do you do? Do you binge eat, eating those chips in your pantry, or ice cream. Are you board, can't focus at work? During this time, step back...take a deep breath. Open that bottle of lavender, close your eyes and smell the lavender. Think about being in that beautiful lavender field in France. Then ask yourself if it's food that you want or are you trying to cope with some outside environment. Or meditate, do yoga. Pray. Whatever it is that you use to cope...use it.

Your body is a temple. Take care of it.

Have a happy Easter! Until the next blog.

p.s. if you are interested in the essential oils I mentioned, please go to my website Meg's DoTerra Team I would love to work with you on natural solutions for you and your family.

Today, the sturggle is real...

These past two weeks have been tough getting to the gym. It's not because I didn't want to, but our family was hit with the stomach bug. All thought everyone bounced back within 24 hours, I did not. As I am preparing for my first bikini competition, this is a set back. I've spent the past 8 days wanting to get back to my daily workout. I truly find myself missing them.

This lead me to think about a few things about us as moms and women in general. Working out and eating right are a priority for me. I don't really think about it as taking time away from my family, but as improving my quality of life to be there for my family for the long haul. (Maybe they will like that, maybe they won't! ha!)  But life happens and we need to take care of our bodies. I chose to do so naturally and care about what goes in and on my body.

As I write, I am thinking about how all this is intertwined in our lives as moms and how much we beat ourselves up for failing...or not hitting whatever benchmark we see is acceptable. We all have "that" mom in our children's school. You know...The one who always dresses so cute, everything is together, her crafts are the best, her cupcakes are perfect little bunny buns on the top. And when you go to her home, everything is in perfect order. Ha! Ask some of my daughter's friends from early school years and they would tell you that was me...not so much anymore. I'm still looking for the coffee mug that says world's okest mom!

Yep, that's me. I used to be embarrassed about it. But when you look at how many hats we wear as mom, being ok at most things isn't so bad. I'm a business owner, taxi driver, coach, mentor, example, chef, maid (even thought i make my kids do their own laundry and clean their own rooms and bathrooms!), personal shopper, nurse, counselor...the list could go on and on.

Looking back on all of these things that I am...and it's not a complete list by any stretch of the imagination, I get worn out. Who said we need to be successful at everything we do as parents? NOT me!

I encourage you women to embrace your okest self! Chose the things you succeed at and do them! I have decided to not feel guilty about not going to the gym for the past 8 day. I have accepted that my body need to rest. And today!! I'm excited...it's time to go back, rested and ready to kick some booty!

My point in this is that sometimes our bodies are trying to tell us to rest. Rest is important. When I began my new workout routine, I was hitting all kinds of PR's. But then, it just stopped. I know that with the rest I've had, I will be able to hit the gym hard and continue my success!

Don't beat yourself up ladies! I have 3 rules for the gym:

Be Present

Be Respectful

Always Do Your Best

What does this mean? Well first, I have to say that these are not my words. I love the Covey family and have worked with Johnny Covey. He teaches you how to mentor yourself with what he calls the head to heart experiences. 

Being present means just that. Be fully in the moment. Whether you are with your kids or your husband or in the gym. Set aside everything else and focus on what you are doing NOW. What this looks like to me is putting my phone down when my kids are around. Or ending work when my husband comes home.

Being respectful isn't just about being respectful to the people around us. As moms, we forget to be respectful of ourselves. We are pulled every which way. There is nothing wrong with saying no to something. I think being respectful to myself is taking care of myself. That is one of the reasons I workout and eat clean. And I love teaching people how to do the same. 

The last one is my favorite. When you are present, and respectful...I don't think you could NOT do your best. But your best may not look the same each time. When I was hitting new PR's on squat and deadlifts, I was so excited...I could see being my best. I was adding weights each time and devouring each step. But at some point...I just could not physically lift more. Did that mean that I wasn't giving it my best? No. (All thought I know I was beating myself up over it.) Sometimes our best isn't the best that we HAVE done, or breaking our record or improving. Our best changes with each day, each second, each thing we do. And it's something that constantly changes.

Sometimes, if I'm not present...and I don't know it, at the end of my workouts I ask myself if I left anything on the table. Meaning, could I have done more? If I answered yes...I ask myself if I was present, respectful and my best. Most of the time, I was not one of them. 

I'm not saying you should always have a stellar workout. Your best will look different each workout. Maybe your best was getting out of the house with a coffee stain on your wrinkled workout shirt and getting on the treadmill for 20 minutes. If you gave it your best...it is your best.

Follow these simple rules in all aspects of your life and you WILL see changes. Changes that you never thought would happen!

Until my next blog...Be real with yourself!

(If you are interested in learning more about the Johnny Covey Head to Heart experience contact me!)

What Makes A Person Successful?

I think my whole life I've been told to set goals. Dream big and achieve your dreams. (Insert the dreamy music and starry graphics.) But is dreaming, wishing and hoping all that it takes to achieve what you want? I've read a ton of books on mind over matter, changing your mindset, manifesting your thoughts and the likes. I've done a few at home marketing businesses in my lifetime as well, and still do. In each, the same questions have come up...What's Your Why?

Why do we fail at our dreams and visions of what we want. I've asked myself that a million times. Each time the dreaded "G" word comes up. I've already said the hated, dreaded and often misunderstood and under used "G" word. GOALS.

But as I mentor people in both my businesses, DoTerra and my nutrition business, I have found that those who succeed have a common thread. So l want to teach you this secret, if you will, to success. (ha! So I guess it won't be the secret anymore.)

Me before I started focusing on working out.

Me 25 pounds lighter, modeling, mentoring and goal setting.

What's the difference in these pictures? The girl in the first picture did not set goals and did not know how to get from point A to point B. At that point in my life, I wanted to change but didn't know how. The thought in my head was, that's ok...I'm getting older. This is what happens as you get older.

Far from the truth! Hog wash! I realized that I no longer wanted to be that girl. When I started DoTerra, I was told to find my why and to set goals. I've always had a bucket list. I thought, ok. I want to make money, I want to help support my family and take the burden off of my husband...whom by the way has always let me follow my "crazy in the moment ideas". When I started working out and joined an online workout/nutrition program...I was advised to set goals for myself. And now in my nutrition studies...a whole chapter has been about understanding your clients, developing their why and helping them set up realistic goals.

Why are they so important? I'm sure you're thinking, "get to the point now Meg." 

Goals are like promises to yourself, but even better. Let's first talk about what a goal is not. 

I hope to lose weight.

I would like to look HOT.

I wish I could make more money.

I would like to be financially secure.

I want a good job.

Do you see the common thread? I want.

Lets look at this chart. These statements are not solid goals because of two things. One, they are not specific and two they do not have a deep meaning. Without a deep meaning (insert your WHY here), the goals are unlikely to become anything but a thought in your mind.

Ok...so I will get to the point right now. Let's talk about healthy goals and what they look like.

Goals Must Be Put In Writing
If your goal isn't in writing or recorded, it's not a goal...It's a dream. What? A dream? You mean I've been dreaming of my dream home and you're telling me that I won't get it unless I write it down, Meg?
Yes! I'm not telling you that you cannot have your dream home. I'm telling you to set your goals on how you want to achieve your dream home. Take out a pretty piece of stationary or take an inspirational picture and WRITE you goal on it. Post it in your home where you can see it on a regular basis. Wishes and dreams are nice, but they usually do not come true without a action plan.

Have Specific and Measurable Goals
Take a look at the goals I made earlier. I hope to lose weight. Can I measure my success with this statement? Yes, but is there a better statement? YES! I want to lose 25 pounds of fat! I can measure my weight loss. And I can write down the first sentience but which goal sounds more believable? I tell my clients and mentees (yes...that's a real word) to believe it...own it. Say it like you mean it!! I WANT TO LOSE 25 POUNDS! (now...write it like you mean it! lol.) We can measure this goal. We can see it happening. The scale doesn't lie.

Goals Have a Timeline
So let's look at the example I've been using. Let's break it down even more. I want to lose 25 pounds in 6 months. WOW!! Look at your goal! It's shaping up nicely...just like you figure will in 6 months! I'm sure you're asking, "Why do I need to do all of this. Can't I just have a goal?!" Well,  timelines make it real! Without a timeline, you're still wishing and hoping.

Goals Must Be Realistic
Looking at our working goal, I feel this is a realistic goal. But we have to look at each individual person and how their goal fits in with their level of commitment. You might need to break your goals down into smaller...more achievable goals. That's ok. Set the big goal and make smaller benchmark goals and be sure to reward yourself when you hit them! But there is one more piece of the puzzle...

Know Your Why
Not everyday at the gym is peachy. There are days I got to the gym kicking and screaming.  Well...maybe in my head. But I go. I go because of my why. What? You want to know what my why is? ok...I'll tell you. I want to compete in a bikini bodybuilding competition this summer! EEEKKK...it just got real. lol. I work out because I want to be healthy for my family. I chose natural products, eat healthy and organic to take care of my body. Besides, I only get one in my lifetime. I blog about my experiences because I know there are women out there that struggle with weight like I do. Why not share my ups and downs.

I hope you like goals now. I didn't before. But goals are like the wheels on a locomotive.  Once you start them...it's hard to stop them.

Until the next blog...now go set your goals!

I've Got Goals

I realized that I started blogging when my children were young but never nurtured the blog and honestly, forgot all about it. When I went in to read my posts on my old blog, I was sad that I did not continue it. The content was honest, and from the heart. It was nice to see a gimps into a few days as a mother of small children. Ironically, the posts were about working out and the struggle of finding time to work out and take care of myself with two babies under the age of two under my feet. The...struggle...is...real. lol.

Now my children are older and now can function on their own. But oh how I wish I would have continued blogging. But looking back through all that I have achieved from then until now, I've come a long way.

Back then, when they were much younger than the picture above, I was a yoga instructor and enjoyed working out. Recreational workouts were the norm for me. But then, I think it was so that I could just have a little time to myself.

Later, when the kids could function on their own,  I took up running. It was an amazing feeling to progress from not even being able to run a quarter mile to running 10 miles!! That love, began to spawn an interest in sprint triathlons.  Little did I know that was an expensive sport. But I loved it! I quickly found out that running was not my strong sport. But what I lost in running, I quickly made up in bike and swim.

Me at Spa Girl Tri

Me at Women Rock 10k

I loved tris, they were for sure my favorite sport, but I was NOT happy with how I looked!!! I spent 3 hours a day training run, biking and swimming and still carried more fat than I wanted! Yep...that's a mimosa in my hand. Because why else would you run? lol. Oh and the diamond you get after that race. :)

I had the same mentality as most people..."I need to lose fat. So I will eat less and burn more calories." NO NO NO NO! What I didn't realize was that this mentality was the COMPLETE opposite of what I needed!

WAAAAATTTT?! Hold up, Meg...did you just say I could lose weight AND eat?!  Oh yes I did!! My sweet hubby kept tell me to eat and head to the gym to lift weights. I kept telling him that I didn't want to look like Aronld Schwarzenegger! I was assured that I would not look like a woman you would be afraid of in a dark alley.

So off I started...And I looked like the majority of the women in the weight room. Follow my husband/boyfriend around the gym and let him pick the size weights for me. Pump however many sets and reps he wanted me to do and move on to the next exercise.

But something just clicked with me. It stirred up another item to put on my bucket list. One thing that I felt might be unattainable but worth being consistent in the gym about. I decided that I wanted to compete in a bikini body building competition. I didn't say that I wanted to become a pro, but maybe someday. I just wanted to be able to compete and be successful.

I don't hate this pic anymore. It shows me how far I've come!

What do I mean when I say successful. I don't mean to win it, all though that would be awesome! But feel confident of what I have accomplished over the past 2 years. I won't lie, I've had ups and downs. I've been sick and lost a month of training. I've moved and struggled emotionally with that and it effected my workouts. But now, I am consistent and I see progress.

Me last week! I am getting closer to choosing a date for competition!

This blog is not here to brag. It's not here for gawkers. I am just a mother of two active children, a wife, and a business owner of two businesses and I am trying to make progress with my workouts. I pray that this blog encourages others that struggle with the daily grind and finding time to workout.

This blog will be about natural body building for women, because I have tried to find information about natural body building and was frustrated with all the searches. But it's not just about bodybuilding, but being healthy...naturally, organically. Besides, are we not organic ourselves?

Until the next post...be persistent and consistent.