FMJ24

Have you ever noticed the number of times a day that negative words exit your mouth in one day? Maybe not. Recently I participated in a challenge to  not complain  for an entire day. Talk about difficult, I found myself feeling awkwardly quiet  around groups of people that I normal have lots to talk about with.  This was a rude awakening for me, I had always considered myself to be an overall positive person… Time for some quality self evaluation. So I set some ground rules for myself 1. No discussion of problems without a solution to accompany the problem 2. No discussion of a problem that has already been discussed and 3. Removing myself from any environments where mass complaining is being conducted. (Easier said than done) Let me say that being faithful to my own rules was a challenge! At first it felt disingenuous like I wasn’t being honest about my feelings. As I began to develop a habit of finding a solution before speaking on a topic the uneasy f...

Happy Holidays! I can hardly believe there are only 8 days until Christmas. I am sure that this time of year is as busy for you and your family as it is for me and mine. There are always so many events and activities to keep us busy. This can be both a positive and a negative, it all depends on how we choose to look see it. In the past I have let the busyness of the season stress me out, but no longer will I allow that to happen. This year and moving forward I am choosing to let the seasons' increase in activity be a pleasant experience.   Is it as simple as saying to myself "the holidays will be good"? No, unfortunately it isn't. However it is as easy as imagining the best possible scenario over and over again. Don't believe me? Well just give it a try...Close your eyes, take a few deep breathes and try to remember one of your most happy memories. It could be the day you brought home your first pet as a child, the day you received a promotion or the...

Hey hey, how was your holiday? When I say the Thanksgiving holiday came not a moment to soon I really mean it! Last week I was able to get some much needed rest. I hope that everyone that celebrated had a great one and for those who didn't I still hope last week was a good one for you;)  One reason last week was so refreshing for me is because the two weeks prior to last week I was struggling with a sinus infection and some fibromyalgia flare related pain. And I admit, instead of focusing on what I know builds my body up I allowed myself to default to old not as good habits. You wouldn't believe the tiny amounts of water I drank smh. However, I have found the silver lining in the situation! This slip wasn't a continuous slip, I found my footing and have began to journey back down the path of wellness! It's funny really, when you make healthy eating and activities part of your normal routine it becomes your new normal and your mind and body will begin to crave them as mu...

Hello everyone! Last week I managed to loose 4 lbs. but even more exciting was my measurements! Most noticeable loses were from my waist and hips. From my waist I lost 3.5 inches and from my hips 4 inches!!!!! Woop wooop I credit my success to... 1. A well developed meal plan. When I'm following my meal plan I don't get hungry. And after sticking to the plan for a couple weeks I no longer have cravings for sugar( which is a big deal for me). My energy level seems to be a lot more stable and that's saying a whole bunch with the schedule I keep.  2. Doable exercise routine. In the past the plans I've attempted were very intimidating to me, but this time around I had guidance selecting the best routines for my activity level and body type along with the type of results I was wanting.  3. I'll say it again. Water Water Water Initially trying to drink a gallon of water a day was scary. But I pushed through! Now if I crave anything it's water. Believe it or ...

hello, hello to all you wonderful people out there and especially to all you busy mothers who may be reading this post! I wanted to say thank you to everyone that is following along with me on this journey to health and wellness. I would also like to invite you to interact with me. I would absolutely love your comments and advise! My dream is to build a community of individuals around the world that support each others dreams and push one another to greatness. So, don't be shy let your fingers do the talking :) Click here to to chat with me about my motivation groups Search for me on Instagram #FMJ24

This is a quick post showing how to assemble a healthier version of what is a family favorite of mine pizza! Pizza is a staple in most of  our diets so I decided to make it in a little bit healthier using as many vegetables as possible and of course it had to be quick because it is a Monday night. You can try this any night of the week all you need is 1. 100% whole wheat crust 2. Pizza sauce it has less calories than you think  guys 3. low-fat cheese of your choice 4. as many vegetables as you can load on the pie and 5. chicken or meat is optional bake in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes there you have it!!!  For more healthy versions of family favorites leave a comment or contact me at FollowMyJourney24@gmail.com Ask my me about accountability groups!

Greetings and salutations! Lol I've always loved saying that:) Hello Hello everyone I hope your week is running smoothly. Today I'm not posting about food or Weightloss per se, today I thought I'd share with you all what motivated me to want to once again start this journey.  Somewhere along the way I lost my confidence and self esteem. I forgot to make room in my life to take care of myself. Don't get me wrong I made sure I ate and bathed regularly, but I stopped doing the things that truly brought me joy. I got so caught up in the "have to's","should's" and caring what other people thought that I lost myself. Honestly this is something that's very difficult for me to admit, but over the past two yours I've began to reintroduce me to myself and I'm loving it!  I believe that even when we make a bad choice or fall short of excellence God can still use those moments and situations.  A couple of years ago I lost a very good job due ...

Last night I didn't realize I was hungry until I was almost Hangry lol. So I ran to the fridge to try to throw together something as quick as possible. Thankfully the fridge was stocked with nothing but healthy choices :) What I found was spinach, onion, mushrooms, turkey bacon, eggs and some left over noodle that GrandMa had prepared the kiddos the night before... So I dumped it all in a skillet and hoped something edible would come out of it. 1. brown turkey bacon 2. sweat onions 3. add liquid aminos (a couple of sprays will do) 4. add mushrooms 5.add spinach and wilt 6. pan fry an egg in coconut oil (S&P, garlic to taste) 7. pour mixture over left over noodles or rice (you can sprinkle a tiny bit of mozzarella for added flavor) My LO's love egg so anything with egg and mushroom they tend to consume happily (I'm blessed in that department) The moral of this story is don't be afraid to just try new things and if you only bring healthy foods into your h...

It's Friday!! We've made it to the weekend :) Quick recap... this week was mostly successful, I can say with pride that I did very well with portion control and types of food I ate this week without depriving myself the joy of great tasting foods. I managed to keep my 5 weekly workout session goal and I noticeably have increased energy this week. Win-Win-Win! This weeks family favorite meal was the Shrimp & Vegetable w/ Brown Rice. The kiddos enjoyed it so much we had it twice this week. It also maintains very well as leftovers for next day lunches (extra bonus). Here's what I did... 1. Boil 1/2 water w/ 1/2 portions of beef/chicken/vegetable broth of your choice 2. Add brown rice and earth balance butter substitute 3. Dice bell peppers, onions and mushrooms then saute' 4. Pan simmer frozen (tail off) shrimp in pan of earth balance butter substitute or coconut oil it's great with either.  5. Add garlic powder,parsley and salt and pepper to taste ...

I can hardly believe it's been almost a month since I decided to make my physical fitness a part of my regular routine. May I saw wow! I can't believe what a difference in feeling already. The quality of my sleep is much better, I feel as if I'm breathing better and more deeply. My body feels stronger and I feel more confident overall. It feels really good to have non scale successes! Since I've began I can ride the bike longer than day 1, hold a plank longer and more reps with more weight!! Yea, I am women hear me roar and to top it off I've lost 8lbs!!!!!!!! I'll be back soon to let you guys know a little more but I just wanted to share this personal victory!  If you'd like to watch a video of some of the things I've been doing  http://bit.ly/1NdjRnq Stay connected with me by joining my email list  http://bit.ly/EMAIL-LIST4FOLLOWMYJOURNEY Follow along with me on Instagram  http://bit.ly/FMJ24-INSTAGRAM

Isn't if "funny" how when we decide to do something, accomplish something new or challenging any and everything possible seems to get into the way? You know like when you decide to start going to bed earlier and suddenly the network pushes your favorite show back an hour or when you decide to start eating cleaner or healthier and your BAM your favorite restaurant rolls out a new dessert menu? Well maybe it's just me... This week I decided to begin a DVD workout series that calls for 6 days of exercise and one rest day per week no problem right? Just last week I went to the gym 5 days with no problem. Yea, guess who was sick 2 days this week??? Yours truly! Here's what I am choosing to take away from this experience:  1. Stop expecting a bad or challenging outcome. If I sincerely believe that what we hold in our hearts is what creates the reality that we live in, then I need influence my heart to always expect a good outcome in this area too. 2. Stop turnin...

Things I've learned about myself... I am an emotional eater! I have all the knowledge in the world about what's good for your body vs not so good when it comes to food, but when I'm experiencing stress I want to change that feeling with food. So I have decided to fill up my home and office with health snacks. I started out with things like Skinny Pop, fruit and vegetable and hummus and these things worked pretty well. However, I do have a sweet tooth so I have been looking for some good healthy/low calorie "fixes". The following are my favorite "fixes"    1 .Bitter chocolate: 1 large block or 3 small squares of dark chocolate  2. Frozen grapes: Freeze 1 cup of grapes  3. Sweet potato: Enjoy one small baked sweet potato (I season mine with cinnamon and nutmeg)  4. Strawberry and spinach salad: For a savory and sweet salad,1 cup of baby spinach with one-half cup of sliced  strawberries. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar  5. Popcorn:2 cups ...

Hello everyone! I'm excited to report that this is the first plate from my freezer meal experiment. It taste pretty good I must say all right so this is barbecue chicken and the vegetables that were in the freezer bag along with it are onion and asparagus along with a little bit of spinach and seasoned with Tumerick, garlic Himalayan sea salt and pepper. I also wrapped some small sweet potatoes In foil and pop them in the oven while the vegetables and chicken we're baking as well as put some white potatoes and green beans and a microwavable steam bag for a few minutes. I am now enjoying a quick and delicious meal!  There is a short video on YouTube if you'd like to watch the process  http://bit.ly/Freezerprep

Everywhere you go these days someone is talking about the benefits of meditation or going a yoga class right? You may be asking yourself what's the big deal. Well, I am here to tell you... Meditation is an ancient practice that people nowadays have over-complicated. Meditation can be as simple as focusing your attention or thinking about a topic intensely. The Bible says that meditation is to "think on these things".  So why is everyone and there mother all up in a tizzy about it? Here are 3 major reasons to give it a try.  1. You control the amount of time spent on this activity.  No one can tell you how much meditation is right for you and your situation. You get to decide the length of of time you'll spend and the frequency that you'll practice using this tool.  2. You get to determine what issue/situation to address during your meditation. For example:Let's say you've had a stressful day. You can decide to sit quietly for a follow the steps ...

I can almost guarantee that each of us at some point has wanted to shake off an ill mood that just wouldn't go away. You know, those times when a co-worker has gotten on your last nerve or the children just won't settle down.  My first go to is music. You're likely thinking yea yea yea, but seriously. If you take a couple of focused seconds to put together a playlist of songs that bring back really great memories or songs that make you want to bust a grove (ie dance ) lol. Most of us have several playlist saved on our mobile devices anyways, so why not make one more? These are examples of what I have saved: Kids, worship, dance, creative and wake up! So depending on what mojo I need to cultivate I select the appropriate playlist.  The second go to method I recommend is time tested aromatherapy. Aromatherapy has been used since ancient times and in my opinion anything that has been around that long and is still being used can provide us with tons valuable information. Mod...

I am a self professed Podcast Junkie! If I have longer than 2 minutes of silence I will make every effort to pull up one of my long list of downloaded Podcast. I love new information, but I digress... On a variety of my beloved Podcast I repeatedly heard the host and guest speak about developing and improving their morning routines. After the 5th or so interview I started asking evaluating what the heck I was doing every morning. My first realization was that I had absolutely no routine. I dragged out of bed every day and fumbled through the morning hoping not to forget anything and arrive at my destination on time.  I decided to read Hal Elrod's Miracle Morning (I highly recommend this book) Honestly, I still haven't developed a set structured routine but I do have a checklist. 1. Give thanks 2. Move my body 3. Hydrate 4. Get out the door ... I have made it standard practice to have my clothes picked out the night before, this sounds elementary but it takes all the mental wor...

This past week, well the past 30+ days have been extremely challenging. I unexpectedly lost my employment , started a new job, moved and lost a close relative. A few too many life events in a short period of time 😱. With that being said here's how I'm choosing to keep myself on a healthy path (sane). I have chosen to be thankful for the motivation to step into a new work situation without having to wonder if I made the correct choice, excited about beginning a new gig and the new connections to be made and also for opportunities to learn and increase my skills set, blessed to have the resources made available to me for the move and honored to be related to and cared for by such an amazing Aunt! I'd like to take a moment to share with you the type of cloth that I was cut from. My Aunt was/is the kindest most nurturing sweet spirit. It was a treat to travel 40 minutes from home just to sit with her and let her "press" my hair and she put all her love into the mea...

 If your life is anything like mine it's full our challenges on a daily basis. One of my most recent challenges has been figuring out ways to remain positive and focused even when situations throw curveballs and negative people have a lot to say. I found Encouragement in advise that I've given clients in the past. I often encourage my clients to fill their backpacks or briefcases with realistic coping skills prior to a crisis arriving. I have them identify  healthy a ctivities supportive people to surrender themselves with. The activities serve you in several ways 1. They get you out of your head for a while 2. The can release healthy feel good hormones and 3. They can quickly change your mood if choose carefully. A support system gives accountability and possibly an objective view or your situation. It is very import to choose carefully the individuals you allow into your support system, not everyone that's available is the correct person to allow into your inner circle....

Similar to the changing weather seasons our lives can change from one season to another from time to time. Recognizing these seasons and implementing the appropriate type of action steps is key to obtaining maximum growth and maintaining peace no matter what curve balls life throws at you. Here in the U.S. Fall is typically a cooler time of year and a time that preparations are made for the upcoming Winter. If we look at patterns in our lives and have been continuously repeating the same obstacles and trying to use the same tools with no positive results. Then maybe we should try something new! It maybe time to invest in learning new strategies.  Winter, is often look at as a time of bareness. All the leaves have fallen and the grass is brown or gone. However, since we just took the time in Fall to prepare we can now use Winter as a time to place our focus inward, to evaluate and to heal. As busy ladies it's easy to get wrapped up with obligations and caring so much for other...

Those of us who crave ice know that not all ice is created the same! I personally prefer Sonic ice and those that know me know that I am too serious about my cup or bag of Sonic ice! as a matter of fact it is 10pm and I have just returned from purchasing my cup for the night.Smh, I too obviously needed a self-care reminder.   By now some of you are scratching your head wondering why in the world I am rambling about a cup of ice. Well, The Mayo Clinic has this to say " Craving and chewing ice is called pagophagia and is often associated with iron deficiency anemia." Unfortunately the correlation between the two is still unclear. And we all know if the Mayo Clinic has taken the time to study something it must be kind of a big deal!  In the past cravings for crushed ice have gotten me up at night, forced me to drive the long way to my intended distination and strategically plan my route to out of town locations by proximity to the local Sonic.  So what is ane...

Hello Hello, and thanks for visiting my blog. It is my intention for this blog to be a platform for busy women to share inspiration and motivation by exchanging life hacks, knowledge gained by experience and words of wisdom and encouragement with each other. I will be documenting my fitness/wellness journey (@followmyjourney24) as well as personal development and growth as I brave the world of motherhood, dating and faith. Sounds like a lot right? I'm sure all you busy ladies can agree that we accomplish a trillion things a day. For the sake focus I'll try to select a main topic per month. This month shall be... Health and fitness!! If you checked out my previous post "Tasty Taco" you saw one of the recipes I'll be preparing during this month and I'll drop a few photos and descriptions as the month progresses :) I'm glad to have you along on my journey ladies! Please feel free to comment, let's build a community of great women!! Amazon.com W...

Some days you just really want some comfort food or familiar taste right? For some reason I really wanted a taco salad, but I didn't want to trash all the good work I had done. I also wanted to sneak as many superfoods into the meal to boost the nutrition value for myself and the kiddos. This is what I came up with... There is lean ground turkey seasoned with Himalayan Salt, turmeric,rosemary,garlic,ground pepper and thyme. Next I added some canned corn, washed off some canned black beans and sprinkled with a little cummin. I also threw in some flax seed and chia seeds, hidden superfoods :)I sliced up some avocado and cherry tomatoes, threw on some reduced fat shredded cheese salsa and plain greek yogurt or sour cream with a little salsa.  People this was so quick and easy not to mention delicious (yummy yummy) The kiddos loved it and most of all I was in and out of the kitchen in less than 30 minutes :) For more of the recipes I've tried on this journey checkout ...