Why I Became a Beachbody Coach

It took me a long time to make this leap. 

But I finally did it!

I became a coach to help other people achieve the results that I have achieved consistently with each new program, over the course of a decade. 

If you know me, you know I'm passionate about fitness and health. 

I grew up in jazz and ballet, played little kid baseball, and ran cross country. I never considered myself athletic because I never liked sports or gym games or events without tutus or teams without bus rides with cute boys. As sixth grade Catholic schoolgirls, my friends and I attended my mom's step and circuit classes at the fitness studio in our small town, then scarfed pizza next door. I "forgot my gym clothes" most days. 

I never worried much about it. My mom made up step routines in our basement, "Funky Town" on volume ten. It wasn't my thing. I was thin. I ate whatever. 

Then my senior year, I got involved in a program that allowed me to leave campus for lunch, and my friends and I became Arby's regulars. My weight jumped from 113 to 125 pretty quickly, and I couldn't think of anything to do about it except hate myself. (Mind you, my NORMAL non-pregnancy weight is about 120, and this is why the scale DOESN'T matter--back then, I wore a size 7, and these days I wear a 2-4 at a similar weight. Muscle makes a difference!) I suppose I still wasn't overweight, but I definitely had some fluff that hadn't been there months before. The thing is, nothing I did worked. The tools I now have weren't in my universe back then. I walked and ran and starved, but none of the above did the trick. 

1. Senior Photo  2. At 20 years old.  3. On my wedding day. 

After graduation, I skipped out on my falling-apart family and moved in with my boyfriend, three hours away and back in my hometown. I started school and worked full-time, and life was good for a year--which back then equaled an eon. Late one night, I saw a commercial for Slim in 6 and I ordered it. I'd gotten SO SICK of the way I felt about my body and was desperate for something I could stick to. And it worked! The reason: Beachbody programs take the guesswork out of everything. I ate the way the program told me to, took the supplements, and worked out from a calendar. BOOM--the scale, in six weeks, read 112, and my thighs were itty-bitty. All those squats and lunges gifted me with a new and improved attitude--until "life got in the way." (I hate that phrase, by the way.) 

My dad called to say he'd been fired and my mom planned to divorce him. My sister and brother were back home, in limbo, while I played house. Emotional turmoil took over when I made some decisions I probably shouldn't have, and broke the trust of the one person who'd stood by me and held my hair back and made me feel important. Food became some blase' necessity that cigarettes could take the place of. Within months, I looked like a skeleton at 20 pounds less than the low weight I'd recently achieved. For the record, this has happened several times, and I'm not going to be ashamed anymore to admit it: I am the opposite of the stereotypical emotional eater. I am the emotional starver instead. 

Until I met my husband (and even during the time we were dating), I was a ridiculously immature and angry little girl, although I didn't see it that way. Since, I have learned to take responsibility for the numerous quagmires I dug myself into. In between bouts of bad relationships and stress-induced mono and running for my life, I went back to fitness, and always with a Beachbody program. Fitness was the good boyfriend I'd given up: reliable, something rewarding to work for, a salve and a temporary amnesiac from the world outside my window or in my mind. Unlike with writing (which was and still is my other passion), I didn't have to conduct conversations with my sick brain. I could forget, and focus on something positive. 

Life with my husband (then my fiance) settled me down. It took a while, and he dealt with me through all of my issues. When I met him, I weighed 105 and looked like a bag of bones; when we got married one year later, I'd used Turbo Fire and Slim Series to add lean muscle--I was 125 and fit into the same clothes, but looked and felt a thousand times better, and I've been on the upswing since. 

When I was 24, I got pregnant and miscarried at ten weeks. At 26, I got pregnant with my daughter Reese. In between, I worked out with Turbo Fire, Chalean Extreme, Brazil Butt Lift, P90X, Insanity, and Yoga Booty Ballet. I assumed, since I'd gotten into great shape, that pregnancy would be easy, but I had another thing coming. A neck injury and migraines kept me away from my workouts (and just about everything else) my entire first trimester. The second trimester, I exercised again and pushed myself too hard to make up for the first; and the third I resembled a flotation device because of massive water retention. I gained 43 pounds and felt miserable every second. 

1. 6 weeks postpartum  2. 11 weeks postpartum  3. 17 weeks postpartum

Of course, Reese was worth every discomfort. And I felt OKAY about the weight because this time I knew what to do. I completed a hybrid of Chalean Extreme and Turbo Fire, then Rev Abs, then P90X2, and drank Shakeology. 

The proof is in the pudding: at 17% body fat 17 weeks after giving birth, I was the absolute fittest I have ever been in my life. And not only that: I was also the happiest. My daughter gave me the ultimate reason to pursue my passions and handle my struggles in more constructive ways. Fitness, and specifically Beachbody,  saved my life and gave me a structured way to learn about fitness and health. 

In the last year, my husband and I have gotten into nutrition and health, and my library bursts with texts about clean eating. I found myself sharing what I knew with anyone who would listen, and was surprised that so many people (like me, years ago) have searched desperately for a solution to their weight or health problems and have met several dead ends. Obviously, there's no end to the amount of "quick fix" products on the market and I'd be lying if I told you I haven't purchased a few of them myself during my own low points. I GET the frustration; I get the need for guidance and support and a real answer.

Not a quick fix. Shakeology is the real deal when it comes to a nutritional power-house bang for your buck. 

I became a coach because I have BEEN THERE. 

The programs work because

they are structured and take the guesswork out of working out. Follow the calendar, drink a shake once a day if you want to amp up your nutrition, use the online support, and utilize your free coach. This is precisely why I have gotten consistent results.

The coach network is kind of a genius thing. I used to think it must be a pyramid scheme, so I took my time doing my research, and I found a team focused on personal development and truly making a difference through fitness. The coach mission is to end the trend of obesity. We coach for free and truly are in this to share what we have learned, and are learning. Because I KNOW the programs and nutritionals work, I feel 100% comfortable recommending them to other people. I believe in everything Beachbody stands for. 

My ultimate dream is to love what I do for a living, to make a difference, to be an example for my children. I never, ever, ever want my little girl to endure some of the things I have, although I can certainly say I am finding the light at the end of the tunnel by learning to channel what I love into a career choice. 

You can, too!

Please feel free to visit my Facebook page for daily fitness and wellness tips, and be sure to message me if you need guidance through fitness--or, of course, if you'd like information on how to become a coach yourself. 

It is not a "job" or a "scheme," but a LIFESTYLE--and one I'm proud to live!

Lindsey.

My "Why"

"From now on, start with why." -Simon Sinek

Here's mine:

I am 27 and since the birth of my daughter and pregnancy with my son, life has begun to present me with bigger questions, like: what kind of legacy will I leave? What will I teach my children about passion and success? How will I SHOW them that living an abundant life is entirely possible, in a world where so many people claim not to have enough?

For the past three years I have worked forty hours per week as an office manager. All of my jobs and roles in life, whether I loved them or loathed them, have provided me with valuable lessons and a paycheck; but what I have learned since having children is that life is about more than a paycheck, and that once the lessons have been digested, it's time to move forward. In those three years I finished and revised a novel and refined my passion for fitness and natural nutrition, started a blog, and worked through many issues still lingering from my past. My husband and I are renovating our century-old home and would like to finish it at some point within the forseeable future. We also dream of taking our kids on once-in-a-lifetime trips. We don't long to live in a McMansion; we just want to live where we are, debt-free, so that we can give our children the experiences that will serve them throughout their lives.

My dreams: seeing my book in print, building a meaningful business, continuing my education, and most of all helping other people achieve their own versions of success. My why: my children, the health of my family, and to live the way I believe we are supposed to live--not chained to a desk keeping busy for the sake of hours logged, but efficiently and with profundity and passion and purpose.

I decided to become a Beachbody coach because I have had enormous success with their programs for almost ten years, and truly believe in the company's mission to end the trend of obesity. The coach network's focus on helping other people and on personal development just works with my own philosophies, and are what I was doing on my own anyway. Now I have an army of people with me who are doing the same for their own communities and families. What could ever be better than joining forces with a group of people who lift you higher, who believe they can use themselves to make the world healthier? Count me in.

Funny how a good workout mimics life at large--hustle and give it your all in a short period of time, concentrate on your muscle groups and how they work, visualize your results, and in a period of weeks or months, and especially years, success comes and stays.

<-----This little 80s girl believed anything was possible, and I am going to prove her RIGHT! ;)

Dream-doubting. Hit your bottom already, so you can climb.

A few months ago, my sister and I sat at my kitchen table and talked about nutritional yeast and her college mission trips and my unconfirmed decisions about what to do once baby number two arrived. I felt that I wanted to go back to school. Contrary to my earlier existence as a free spirit, I discovered in recent years a penchant for business and development. The idea of making the leap from one kid plus full time job to two kids plus full time school plus somehow contributing financially to my family was still in an embryonic stage.

Dana is eight years younger than me, but there is something about being nineteen that makes one wise. I weighed the options of staying at my locationally convenient, camraderie-filled, low-paying job. It was, after all, something safe...except it wasn't because I couldn't afford a babysitter for one child, and more frequent emergencies were bound to emerge with two. Dana said something along the lines of,"You're scrappy. You always make things work. So if you take a leap of faith, you'll make things work. And if you play it safe, you'll stay where you are." Which is in dream mode: of continuing my education, publishing my novel, starting a fitness business, changing the world. Changing the world is hard to do from a desk.

So I read and researched and made lists and had one-sided conversations with my skeptical husband who nonetheless supports my lofty goals. He knows I am a worker bee when I'm passionate about something, and that seems to be the point: living with passion. What the hell else is there? Submission is pure torture for me and I refuse to play it safe anymore for the sake of false comfort.

I put in my notice. It wasn't easy. I like my coworkers. I am used to my routin. But I LOVE my role as a mom and I love learning and I love fitness and I love writing. And I think it's bullshit to tell your kids to reach for their dreams when you've spent all your precious time taking cover from your own.

Change is scary. If it weren't, nobody would stay stuck the way most of us do. I am pledging here and now, for Ben and Reese and Declan and myself and the world, that I will live with purpose. The only chance I will ever regret is the one I didn't take.

Dana, you're right. When you just jump, you have no choice but to learn to fly.

September Ramble: happiness is a choice

Happiness is a choice. 

Nothing fancy today. No catchy DIY projects or bourgeois vegan recipes...just me getting my thoughts out, and sometimes that's important.

I have learned a tremendous deal about myself in the past year. Becoming a mother, maybe, does that to a woman. You stop thinking in terms of "me" and more in terms of "us." You start considering the legacy you're going to leave.

I used to be immature. I used to be insecure. I used to be the kind of girl who allowed the fear of rejection to inhibit my ability to TRY.  Like so many others, I went through a rough time in my life, a time of fear and pain and rebuilding my life and building the Great Wall of China around myself. Not many people know about that time. Then again, in past years, not many people knew ANYthing about me. I thought I liked it that way, until one day I broke down in the Sears parking lot on my cell phone, to my husband. I'd just moved for the umpteenth time, this time in with him, to a foreign little town where people used a weird thing called "two-way" and everyone was on some volunteer fire department or another and middle-aged women needed the fashion police. I broke down and broke down and broke down. Over and over. I'd managed for a considerable amount of time to hold it together, and then I just couldn't anymore.

The thing is, in the span of four years I'd fled my tumultuous homestead for my original hometown and a boyfriend I was convinced at 18 would save me from my penchant for reckless abandon, got a house with him and two dogs plus eight strays plus furniture, got myself into trouble, got another house with him in hopes we could "fix it," tried to be the mediator for my parents' divorce three hours away during my dad's job loss and my mom's immediate move into some other guy's house, battled an eating disorder, watched my dad battle cancer, quit school twice, drank too much, met a charming but ultimately abusive new boyfriend who threatened to kill me on numerous occasions and stole all my worldly possessions, left my life to move in with my mom and her new boyfriend where my ex boyfriend stalked me and half my life was spent in court or the sheriff's department, worked several horrid jobs, met another abusive boyfriend, met the third abusive boyfriend, etc. Amazing, because during that time, nothing felt so awful.

Then I moved in with my best friend, became a manager for my company, started writing the novel I'd dreamt of penning since age six, became spiritual, found a passion for health and fitness, and met my husband who is a wonderful man with a work ethic from the stars. So WHY in heaven's name did I crash and burn when things were good? I'm sure there are all kinds of psychological reasons for this kind of thing, but I think once life SLOWED DOWN I didn't know how to handle it. When things were smooth, I sabotaged them. I saw red and took it out on people who were NOT the people who caused me to see red. I was basically a little bitch. I knew no other emotion but rage. If you've never felt rage, consider yourself lucky. It's disgusting.

In the past year, I made a commitment to get happy and help people. My friend Ashley is a therapist who must have been sent from GOD to find me and make me realize all kinds of insightful and life-changing things about myself. The first time I divulged all the sordid details to her and cried, it hit me that I hadn't CRIED in who knows how long. It hit me that I wasn't angry, I was SAD. I decided to embark on this great journey to fix myself. Really, it came out of what I'd always loved doing: writing and fitness. Along the way, nutrition came into play. I got crafty. I became a mom to the sweetest thing ever. I started connecting with people again and realizing it felt like ice on a black eye instead of an invasion. I came to the conclusion that happiness is a choice. Trust me, I know many people don't see it that way, and I certainly didn't either, but THINK about it: we CHOOSE who we surround ourselves with, we CHOOSE the dreams we go after and the dreams we don't, we CHOOSE to stay in bad situations out of fear or greed, we CHOOSE to react with a chip on our shoulder, we CHOOSE to say shitty things about other people. Likewise, we CHOOSE to find the lesson in every hardship, we CHOOSE to go outside of our comfort zone, we CHOOSE to work on our personal development, we CHOOSE to give a compliment or a donation or an offer of assistance, we CHOOSE to live our lives with grace despite our fear of the unknown.

I want to be the kind of woman my daughter is proud of. I want her to grow up knowing that everything is possible with kindness and good karma and hustle and love. I want to be healthy and make choices that are based on providing myself and my family with a life comprised primarily of joy. I CHOOSE to wake up grateful for a day many people don't get to have.

I was sparked to write this because I noticed something recently: the more self-assured I become, the more people come out of the woodwork to tear me apart. More people tell me, "Oh, but it's just easy for you. It's not that way for ME." And it came to me that I used to be THAT PERSON. Maybe not out loud. But in my head, I told myself I just wasn't good enough to be as fit or as rich or as happy as so-and-so. And it felt better to be mean.

Au contraire, I have also met so many INCREDIBLY supportive people who have found their own contentedness or passion and are very happy to pass on the bug to everyone they meet, including me. I have chosen to spend more time with THESE people, and less time with the vampires. And to all you sweet and passionate and caring people, thank you--not just from me, but from ALL of the people who you inspire and don't even know you're inspiring.

I don't look down on mean people. I understand their sadness. And I want to help them ditch the excuses and move past the enormity of their pain and realize they DESERVE to live a life bursting with incredible revelations.

Nobody can make that choice but you.

"I'm so full of confetti I could give birth to paper dolls." 
-Zelda Fitzgerald

What I Learned When I Was Nineteen

I was formatting my 5-years-in-progress novel last night, and I felt agonized by the whole process. Some nights (like two nights before last) it goes smooth as silk. Others, I want to toss this whole unpaid writer shebang out the window. Hence, the 5-years-in-progress thing. 

I started outlining and writing the story in 2007, when I lived with my best friend and had a hot pink bedroom full of tossed-off bar outfits and booze bottles. I started living it long before; at about age nineteen I experienced a very different life from the domestic cupcake who now pens this healthy, hippie, happy blog. (Yes, I'm exaggerating, kind of. I will never really be that girl.) I think everyone comes of age at a certain time, and that it's a different number for different people, and for me it was certainly nineteen. My headspace back then was (cloudy and) creative, filled with lust for every little thing, and recklessly, horrifically fun, amidst quite a bit of tumult, which I think back then I harbored quite an addiction to. 

Anyhow, the book was born of a million things and people and ideas, and of living in a midwestern post-factory town and in bars, and of being--or becoming--an enlightened fuck-up. 

After I moved to Blissfield (oh, what an accurate name in so many ways) with Ben, it took me a couple of years to find my footing. I didn't touch the manuscript for a long time. It made me too sad. I stopped working at the bookstore and worked for a little while as a bank teller. If you know me personally, you'd attest that the last sentence is evidence of a total identity crisis on my part. I truly felt lost, but not in the good purple-haze way of yore. 

Somehow, I found my way back to the book. And it sort of saved me, and maybe in a way that's why it's hard for me to be done with it. Allowing somebody to scrutinize something so deeply personal feels really scary. Over the years I have grown attached to all of my characters and to my little made-up Midwestern world. 

Tonight, I felt inspired to look through a few things from the year I became me, the year where I started looking around and mentally scrapbooking snippets of life for later words in sentences in chapters in this mess of a thing I call a novel. 

Here are pages of my '04 journal:

"It's okay to think you're fabulous."

-advice from a hedonistic young adult

....................................................

I wish I had done this every year, written out my yearly lessons and mantras. Maybe I will, from now on. In comparison, here are some things I learned (or believed) when I was 27:

-"You are not in the world. The world is in you." -Deepak Chopra

-You should be a constant learner. Learn about every passing curiosity. Learn how things are made, how things work, how things are, how you wish they were, and how you can change them. Knowledge really IS power. 

-Going to college straight out of high school doesn't work for everybody, and sometimes you are better off waiting to go back until you have real reasons for being there in the first place, even if you're pregnant with your second child in 17 months and working full time and are married and have bills to pay. 

-The busier you are, the more productive you will generally be or become. 

-"Leading with your heart" is not always sound advice. Sometimes you gotta chuck that heart out of a rolled-down window and move the eff on. 

-Fitness and nutrition are sexy. People who party too hard for too long are not sexy. Moderation!

-People generally don't judge you as much as you fear they do. 

-Learning to say no to things that don't align with your top priorities makes life a bajillion times simpler. 

-Becoming a mother is truly the most astounding experience. You realize your potential for being an unselfish person. You also see the world through brand new eyes.

-Whatever you think most about, you become. 

-Anything is possible with a positive attitude.

-It's never as scary as you think it's going to be. Your mind contorts things out of your fear. Good news: you control your mind. Practice!

-Unfortunate events occur from time to time. You are always strong enough to handle them. You are, after all, a pillar of self-sufficiency. If looked at in the right light, all of these events are opportunities to discover who you really are.

-At the risk of sounding new-agey, there is a silent place in all of us that is infinitely wise and calm. Sometimes we have to shut up to find it.

-Regret is pointless. Move forward. Great advice from my cousin Jamie: "Remember, you did the best with what you had at the time." Isn't that so true? Hindsight's 20/20. Living in the present is, like, 20/500, but it's way more fun!

-You are only as old as you think you are. It is NEVER TOO LATE to be exactly who you want to be. My sister's freshman classes at Cleveland State were peppered with students of all ages, including seniors (as in citizens). My mother is 50 and teaches aerobics, spinning and linebacker classes. Take care of yourself, keep learning, and the world is your oyster. 

-You never know when your kind word or your piece of advice or your shared story is exactly what someone else needs to hear. Be genuine. Share what you know. 

-Wake up every day and go to sleep every night with gratitude. No matter how shitty things seem, there is ALWAYS something to be grateful for, and the more you appreciate what you have, the more you'll have to appreciate. 

----------------------------

MY PLAYLIST AT 19:

Saves the Day (Rocks Tonic Juice Magic)

The Get Up Kids (I'll Catch You)

Hole (Miss World)

Death Cab for Cutie (Title Track)

Death Cab for Cutie (Residential State Street)

Ben Kweller (Family Tree)

Modest Mouse (Bukowski)

Audio Learning Center (Hand Me Downs)

Armchair Martian (Jessica's Suicide)

Bright Eyes (Haligh, Haligh, a Lie, Haligh)

Pedro the Lion (When They Really Get to Know You, They Will Run)

Pedro the Lion (Options)

Tori Amos (Icicle)

Tori Amos (Northern Lad)

Logh (Yellow Lights Mean Slow Down, Not Speed Up)

Broken Social Scene (Anthems for a 17 Year Old Girl)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Rich)

The Stills (Gender Bombs)

The Stills (Still in Love Song)

Cursive (The Recluse)

The Shins (Girl Inform Me)

The Shins (So Says I)

The Shins (Pink Bullets)

Metric (Succexy)

Cat Power (Speak for Me)

Liz Phair (Flower)

Interpol (Stella was a Diver and She was Always Down)

MY PLAYLIST AT 27:

All of the above, plus a million others, including

Great Lake Swimmers (A Merge, a Vessel, a Harbor)

Margot & The Nuclear So & Sos (Jen's Bringin' the Drugs)

Pedro the Lion (Criticism as Inspiration)

Smith Westerns (Be My Girl)

Friendly Fires (Hurting)

Bon Iver (Skinny Love)

Metric (The Gates)

Nadia Ali/Sultan& Ned Shepard (Call My Name)

Mutemath (Spotlight)

Real Estate (Green Aisles)

Wild Nothings (Live in Dreams)

Doves (M62 Song)

Atlas Sound (Recent Bedroom)

Stateless (Bloodstream)

The Xx (Crystalised)

Lana del Rey (Without You)

-------------------------------------------

Money can't make you rich like experience can.

-penniless, experience-full 19 year old Lindsey Smith. 

:)

Simple Tips for Healthier Eating

Simple Tips for Healthier Eating

 Don’t try to do it all at once. Start with a simple task, such as incorporating more vegetables into your diet, adopting a “Meatless Monday,” going whole grain, or trying a new healthy recipe once a week. As you get comfortable, keep taking those baby steps. They add up. Burn-out sucks, so don’t try to overhaul your lifestyle in a single weekend.

Read everything you can get your hot little hands on about nutrition. Subscribe to health, fitness, and light cooking magazines. Read blogs. Keep up on the latest research. “Like” fitness pages on Facebook for regular updates.

Watch documentaries. Sometimes it’s difficult for people to make time to read a book (although I am ALL FOR BOOKS, and I think that apps like IBooks give us no excuse not to read when we come across surprise downtime), and a good nutrition documentary like Forks Over Knives, or even some DVRd episodes of Dr. Oz, can keep us on the up and up about nutrition.

Make a list of your current ailments and what you’d like to change. Perhaps you want to lose 30 pounds. Maybe you don’t want to be dependent on insulin or a blood sugar pill for the rest of your days. Maybe you’re bothered that the meat on your plate meant something was slaughtered, but you aren’t sure what the heck else to eat. Perhaps you want better skin, less cellulite, a deflated spare tire. Go from here. You cannot formulate a plan until you know what you want to change.

 Decide how badly you want, or need, to change. Maybe you’re within a healthy weight range and BMI, and 30 pounds isn’t maintainable if you ever want to eat anything ever again; in that case, maybe go for 10 instead. If you are overweight or obese, decide what small steps you can manage to start with. After all, every journey begins with a single step and all that jazz. I know many heavy people who complain about their weight but are TOTALLY unwilling to give up the Fritos or get off the couch—I’m not judging their choices, but I AM judging their complaints. If you’re unhappy, decide to change. If the change you think you want isn’t really doable, rethink your priorities. If you aren’t willing to change your bad habits, don’t bitch about them, and be prepared to accept the often-ugly consequences.

Decide: maybe spend a little extra now on fresh produce and whole foods (and maybe some workout DVDs, equipment, running shoes, or a gym membership), or a lot extra in medical bills later. You are not exempt from health issues.

 Understand that food can be an addiction as real as any other. Case in point: remember how not that far back I was singing the praises of cheese and blogging about that lovely aged gouda and how it’s the one vice I won’t give up? Guess what? I’m giving it up. Once I did my research and learned the effects of dairy on the human body, the animals of our planet, and our planet in general—and also once I realized that the casein in cheese does all kinds of shenanigans to the chemical receptors in our brains—I came to the conclusion that I don’t need it. It doesn’t make me feel good. It’s lardy and fatty. It’s cholesterol-inducing. And it’s addictive! I don’t want to be addicted to anything; call it my Emery stubbornness. Chances are you may have a food addiction; it’s real and it can be broken. Like any withdrawal, you may experience some ugly symptoms and cravings, but guess what? You can handle it.

 Have a very visual goal in mind, and think about it often. Do you want to fit into that bikini from two years ago? Keep it where you can see it. Daydream about how frickin’ fab you’ll look in it in a few months. Do you want to be able to run a 5k? Visit race websites, cut out photos from running magazines, subscribe to related blogs—and imagine yourself running, down to the very sports bra or brand of shoe or scenery. A fantastic way to keep track of all your inspirations and revisit them often is to create a pin board on Pinterest.

Think of food as fuel. Sure, some of us love to eat during celebrations and some of us love to eat to soothe our frustrations, but that’s really not the point. We can still DO these things, with better choices (kefir or almond milk “ice cream” rather than a pint of triple fudge chunk; a veggie quesadilla with fresh salsa instead of a heaping pile of nachos), but for the majority of us, when we visualize our ideal body and our ideal workout performance, see someone who resembles an athlete or a person who at the very least takes care of themselves—and regular ice cream jaunts and nacho pig-outs do not an athlete make.

 Judge a food by how you feel after you eat it. My husband has gone down to one meat meal per day, if that, and I have started really cooking—from scratch—the majority of our food. We focus on plants, plants, and more plants. He says he feels way better after a whole-food, non-processed meal than the stuff he used to eat. My pregnancy, this time around, has been a gazillion times easier, and my weight gain has been perfect and steady. When we were eating out more, and consuming more animal products, we felt sluggish, bloated, and full. It is easier to stick to your guns when you feel stellar.

Organize your kitchen. Splurge or save up for some really kick-ass tools, like a food processor or juicer or amazing chef’s knife, to enjoy your time in the kitchen a little more. We recently installed a dishwasher, and it makes me want to cook more elaborate meals, because clean-up is so much faster. Buy new BPA-free, dishwasher-safe Tupperware to bring your healthy meals and snacks with you on the go, and to organize the nuts, seeds, grains, and pastas in your pantry. You will reach for healthy food more often when it’s easy to reach and prepare. Another time saver: cut up and/or wash fruits and veggies all at once, to save prep time when you’re in a pinch. My downfall used to be reaching for my husband’s junky snack food when I got into famished-mode, because peeling and dicing and cooking vegetables would take too long to catch up to my sugar crash.

 Always have a fruit bowl on the counter. It looks so pretty, you’ll be more likely to grab an apple or orange. On the flipside, keep junk food in hard-to-reach places if you find you just can’t control yourself. If you have to get on a stepstool to reach the Chips Ahoy, chances are you’ll have a few seconds to think twice.

And speaking of Chips Ahoy…have a treat now and again. Decide in advance what your favorite splurge is. An example: I am not a big fan of chocolate cake, but I love blueberry pie. If I’m really in the mood for a treat, and blueberry pie happens to be there, it’ll be worth the splurge because I’ll enjoy it. Chocolate cake, not so much. A few bites will suffice, if I’ve got a sweet tooth, but I always have 75-90% dark chocolate on hand, and a square or two will usually calm cravings.

If you can’t kick a craving, try to find something a little better for you that will still curb it. Want French fries? Have a baked potato, or some baked sweet potato fries, or at the very least, make oven “fries” instead of getting out the deep fryer. On that note, don’t even own a deep fryer. What’s the point, aside from tempting yourself and making your house smell like stale McDonald’s?

  Don’t buy shitty food. You’re less likely to make a special trip to buy junk food when you’re in the mood for it if it isn’t already on hand, and if you do run out to the corner store for corn chips, you’ll have a drive in the car to contend with yourself.

Use seasonings, and not of the salt variety. Studies show they can help you consume less. Making your food savory might satisfy you sooner. The first bite is always the best bite. When it stops tasting delicious, stop eating it.

 Get over the “clean your plate” thing. Whether it goes in your belly or the garbage disposal, a starving child in China is still not eating it. If you truly aren’t hungry (remember, it takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that you’re full, so slow down and put down your fork!) , there is no shame in boxing up, Tupperware-ing up, giving to your dining companion, or otherwise disposing of the rest.

 Eat from smaller plates. I like to use salad plates. In America, the circumference of our dinner plate has drastically blown up in recent decades—along with our waistlines. And remember that a restaurant portion is usually especially blown out of proportion, so stretch your budget to save your gut by asking for a to-go box, or share with the people at your table.

 Eat low-calorie, high-density foods. Allow your plate to overflow with all the goodness nature has to offer, and skimp on the heavy, caloric stuff. Fill the majority of your plate with veggies. You’ll trick yourself into thinking you’re consuming more than you really are.

 Don’t, for the love of God, drink your calories. Okay, sometimes—in the case of an amazing glass of vino, or a green juice you juiced yourself or a meal-replacement shake of high nutrient density, like Shakeology. Don’t drink soda. Don’t drink a ton of fake juice or powdered lemonade or aspartame energy drinks. A lot of us forget that these calories count, too. Get yourself in the habit of drinking water and real tea.

Drink a ton of water. The amount will vary per individual and activity level, but on average I would say I drink about three liters of water a day. The smallest bit of dehydration leads to migraines on my part. Plus, many times we misjudge our hunger—we aren’t hungry, we’re thirsty. For water. Add lemon, add cucumber, add a tea bag (green tea is great for metabolism), add whatever (and I don’t mean powdered drink mix with fake sugar) helps you drink it down. And carry a canteen or a water bottle wherever you go.

 Collect recipes. They make eating healthy way more fun. I barely ever follow a recipe to a tee, and I never measure anything, but a recipe gives me a base to get creative. (Then when I make something incredible, I have no idea how to replicate it! ;)

Visit a farmer’s market or a health food store, or plant a garden. Not to get all flowery (no pun intended), but seeing Earth’s beautiful bounty in the form of all that colorful produce just strengthens my resolve to nourish myself with what sprung from the soil and didn’t hurt anything or anyone to get here. I like to support local farmers, and I also like knowing that my tomato came from down the street and not from Argentina. Local means more nutrients and a reduced carbon footprint.

2Check ingredient labels. Many times, foods that look healthy simply aren’t. Michael Pollan advises in “Food Rules” not to buy anything with health claims on the package. If you can avoid MOST things in packages in the first place, you won’t have to worry so much. My rule is that if the food has a list of ingredients too long to clog up the aisle to bother to read, or if it has ingredients that remind me of chemistry class, I put it back on the shelf.

 Shop (mostly) the perimeter of the store. Whole grains and salsas and oils and such will be in the aisles, but once you stock up on the staples, you will mostly shop in the produce section the majority of the time you’re in the store. Bonus! Most of the items here don’t have labels and include one ingredient, simplifying your plight to decipher what’s healthy or not…

  BUT…there are some plants (and many processed, packaged items) that are genetically modified (or contain genetically modified ingredients). I won’t go into all the science of why this isn’t a good thing, but I will advise you to do some research on this subject. There are even apps for your phone that can show you, in a pinch, which brands and items to steer clear of.

.  Designate one day a week for grocery shopping (or market shopping). If you’re going a few weeks without buying groceries, you’re probably not consuming the freshest, healthiest food.

  Don’t be afraid to stick to your guns. People won’t like you less because you’re vegetarian, or vegan, or cutting out sugar or gluten or whatever. If they do, there’s something wrong, and it goes further than a dietary choice. Some people close to you may feel threatened when you decide to get healthy. It causes them to examine their own choices. You don’t owe it to anybody to be unhealthy or to eat things that make you squirm just so that everyone else is comfortable. I’ve been a vegetarian most of my life, and am going mostly vegan. At gatherings, I just offer to bring a dish. At restaurants, I find something (or create something) on the menu that I can eat. I don’t make a big deal out of it, so other people don’t usually feel the need to, either. If all else fails, keep a bag of nuts or a Clif bar or an apple in your purse or glove compartment, or eat before you go!

  Live by example. Prove to yourself, first and foremost, that you can feel, look, and be better by choosing health over the processed standard American diet. When you embody confidence in your choice, your enthusiasm is contagious. I had no idea my food/fitness blog posts inspired people, until I got e-mails thanking me for putting them up. In turns out a lot of us are interested in bettering ourselves, our communities, and our planet through the single most influential action: changing our diet. Remember that you’re NOT depriving yourself of the “good stuff” in life by eating clean. Quite the contrary. The stuff most of us claim to want (health, fitness, vitality for life, a long-lasting sex life, a lit-from-within glow, a hot body) stem from this very practice. Try it yourself, give it your all, and be astounded.

Here are some resources I have found super-helpful in my quest for great health. Check them out!

Cooking Light magazine

Women’s Health magazine

Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Diet

Beachbody

Chalene Johnson

Veganomicon cookbook

The Food Revolution by John Robbins

Food Rules by Michael Pollan

Meet Your Meat (PETA)

Forks Over Knives

Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels

Center for Safety’s True Food app for iPhone

Leaping Bunny’s Cruelty Free app for iPhone

Urbanspoon app for iPhone (to read menus before we stop somewhere on the road)

MyFitnessPal app for iPhone (to track calories and goals)

Livestrong.com

Main Street Vegan by Victoria Moran

Pinterest (for recipes!)

Kris Carr

:)

Lindsey.

Weekend Craftiness

Luxurious Weekend (sort of)

Things I did this weekend, in random order:

Made a monogram with a wooden letter from Hobby Lobby & a lot of saved-up corks, for the boring bare space above my stove. Ben put a dishwasher in, & a little extra counter space, so right now I am loooooving my kitchen. I was going to hang this thing tonight, but couldn't find a hammer, & Ben is all about everything being perfectly level...so he can do it! (Although he thinks the whole project is sort of stupid. Men.)

Made cashew cheese. You know, the stuff vegans eat! And it's actually really good, & husband-approved. It's not real cheese, just has a cheesy texture. We ate it as a spread on Kashi Roasted Vegetable crackers. 

It's just cashews, garlic, water, & a little salt & pepper in the food processor. 

Fed my kid delish plant food. She is such a good eater. This is banana, organic whole grain waffle, fresh blueberries from the local market we visited, & quinoa. I'm still trying to research the milk-for-toddlers thing, & want a good replacement for cow's milk. The more I know, the more animal products are getting the boot from my kitchen!

Made peach cobbler with whole wheat flour, which made it way dense & not like the cobbler I remember. It tasted amazing, but just didn't look as crazy-fluffy-yum. Reese & I went to the market & bought whole wheat pastry flour, for future endeavors. I figured out why I suck at baking: I try to make everything healthy, & a lot of "healthy" ingredients don't bake the same as their nutrient-devoid counterparts. I'm getting there!

Breakfast for the family: a casserole of quinoa, organic eggs (which will probably soon become all but eliminated from my diet), fresh basil & thyme, & local squash, beefsteak tomatoes, shallots, & red pepper. I will be making this again! The recipe is from Cooking Light, but I see it hasn't been posted yet on their website. 

Played with my little loves. I had to give Reese a lesson about "gentle." (Or "dental," in her language.) 

Made flowers out of vintage sewing patterns. I've had these pretty things forever, & thought they'd make cute centerpieces for a someday-soiree. 

Chalkboards out of ceramic Hobby Lobby frames! I spray-painted them Pistachio, & then used chalkboard paint over the glass. These will also hang in the kitchen. 

And watched fireworks at the River Raisin Festival. Reese said, "Wowwwww!" 

This morning it was back to work. Though I did get my new John Robbins book, which has proven to be a major distraction...but a good kind. 

:)

Lindsey.

Husband & Wife DATE IDEAS

We all, and by we I mean married people, are guilty of it. I mean, I think we all are. Maybe there are some of us who are innately skilled at keeping the romance alive despite years of matrimony, fights about bachelor parties, overworking, dirty diapers, toys all over the bedroom floor (and by toys I mean the Fischer Price variety), lack of time, lack of effort, lack of...makeup.

The rest of us, we struggle to keep our marriages hot.

We find ourselves wondering what happened. We used to have time to plan our outfits and dress sexy and wear perfect lipstick, and go out on amazing dates. Now a stolen block of five minutes feels illicit. We talk about the kids. We wonder what they're doing at the babysitter's. We hurry with our dinner. We complain about work. We drive home in panicked exhaustion that we've stayed up too late.

And on and on...

Well, List Queen that I am, I've been jotting down Date Ideas in hopes that I can use them on my husband. Last week, we left Reese with my mother in law and drove to Ann Arbor for an incredible meal at the brewery and a glass of wine (me) and Manhattan (Ben) at this fancy-pants place called Vinology. For the first time in too long, we connected. We let ourselves have fun, or at least as much fun as we could in my pregnant state. We talked. We held hands. We held hands! Hand-holding has been replaced in my vernacular with baby-holding, so the simple act of holding my husband's felt very sweet. I realized that I miss him. And I think most of us do this: we long for a family, and then we have one; instead of balancing all of our relationships, we throw all of our energy at the kids. Here's my belief: a strong marriage can only, in turn,  be beneficial for your kids. Here's my other belief: making time for JUST the two of you fortifies a strong marriage. You and your husband make time for canoodling and hand-holding and adventuring, and everybody wins.

Without further ado...

100 HUSBAND & WIFE DATE IDEAS

1. Stay at a swanky hotel, even in your area. Enjoy room service, hot tubs, and just being away from home.

2. Visit a winery (or several, but take a taxi!) for a tasting. Purchase a bottle of the one you both love best and save it for an anniversary. 

3. Take a boxing class together. (An excuse to buy some cute pink gloves!)

4. Visit a new city.

5. Try craft beers at a brewery. Most of the time, brew pubs offer excellent artisan food--bonus!

6. Take a restaurant tour: drinks here, dinner there, dessert somewhere else, and a nightcap. Works best in a walkable city.

7. See a baseball, football, basketball, or hockey game. Dress for your teams and take pictures. 

8. Go to a ballet, for an elegant evening out. 

9. Tour an art museum. A lot of them are free and have rotating exhibits.

10. Find a festival or fair and ride the rickety Scrambler together. No funnel cakes beforehand!

11. Amusement park!

12. Drive to the beach or the lake for the day...or even a local pool. 

13. Take a long bike ride.

14. Get in the car and JUST GO.

15. Go to the races. Bet against each other. 

16. Take a trip to the casino. (But spend wisely.)

17. Bust out the Mad Libs.

18. Visit the Humane Society and offer to walk the dogs. If you're looking for a pet, consider adopting one you find and fall in love with at the shelter. 

19. Attend a poetry reading. Bonus for erotic poetry!

20. Go out for late-night coffee. 

21. Meet on your lunch break for a walk in the park or a tryst in the car. Just don't get caught ;)

22. Take a home tour, or walk around your favorite neighborhood. Talk about what your "dream home" should have.

23. Start a home improvement project together. Celebrate when it's done.

24. Take photos in an unexpected environment. See what beauty you both can find when you really notice. 

25. Drive around and listen to a playlist of "your" songs.

26. Redecorate the bedroom--less clutter, more sexy!

27. Go dancing.

28. Rollerblade.

29. Hike the local terrain.

30. Pick out fresh produce at a farmers market or roadside stand, and enjoy it together.

31. Plant a garden. 

32. Rock climb.

33. Throw a dinner party. 

34. Get your favorite photo or work of art custom-framed together and create a showpiece for your home. 

35. Show each other the highlights of your hometowns, however small, if you're from different places. 

36. Pack a picnic, for the beach, park, or backyard. 

37. Lowkey night at home: grill out and hang out around a campfire. 

38. Sidewalk chalk and bubbles. Find your inner kid. 

39. Attend an opening at an art gallery. Support local art together.

40. Go on a mission to find out the history of your house.

41. Sleep in! Eat breakfast in bed and snuggle the morning away.

42. Find a great Groupon for something you wouldn't normally do.

43. The circus.

44. Take turns planning dates. Week one, he picks. Week two, you pick. Get to know each others' interests.

45. Couples photo shoot.

46. Visit a wildlife preserve.

47. Go for a walk around your neighborhood. Hold hands.

48. Catch lightning bugs.

49. Enter a 5k, a 10k, or a marathon. Train together!

50. Visit a haunted house, real or at Halloween.

51. Tailgate at home. Watch the game, make game food, and wear your team colors. 

52. Create a scavenger hunt.

53. People-watch and make up stories. Good places: diners, sidewalk cafes, parks, and laundromats at night.

54. Test drive the car of your dreams.

55. Pool hall. Place bets.

56. Go to a dive bar and play your old favorites on a real juke box.

57. Visit the zoo.

58. Have childlike fun at the science center.

59. Throw a theme party together.

60. Go back to where you first met.

61. Try a new workout at a fitness center. 

62. Get the season DVD of a show neither has seen and spend a rainy day watching it. With popcorn and warm blankets. 

63. Cook together.

64. Build a bonfire and roast marshmallows.

65. Meet somewhere and pretend it's the first time.

66. Splurge on fancy drinks at a cocktail bar. Dress up.

67. Scour the newspaper for local events and try something you wouldn't normally be interested in. 

68. Attend a charity function for something you both believe in, or host your own. 

69. Volunteer together.

70. Try a new church, if you're exploring your religion.

71. Get a couples' massage.

72. See a local band.

73. Go to a concert.

74. Drive-in movie. "Neck" in the car ;)

75. Have an at-home movie marathon.

76. Walk at the park. Play on the playground and be silly together.

77. Get ice cream.

78. Create new cocktails. Become mini-mixologists and build up an impressive bar.

79. Play old-school board games.

80. Carve pumpkins. Hello, competition!

81. Pick apples at an orchard in the fall. 

82. Scour antique shops for amazing vintage finds.

83. Shop someplace you could never afford anything, just for fun.

84. Road trip!

85. Camping.

86. Save up change in a change jar for a special occasion. Post the occasion on the outside of the jar for motivation.

87. Do something that scares you: roller coasters, bungee jumping, scuba diving. 

88. Go fishing.

89. Take a canoe or kayak trip.

90. Create a piece of art together, even if it's just with fingerpaint.

91. Build a sundae bar. Invite some friends over on a hot day for ice cream.

92. Do something so high school, like laser tag or paintball. 

93. Make a dinner date and pick out each others' outfits. Good insight into what the other person loves on you!

94. Go horseback riding, or take a lesson if you've never been.

95. Tour a historical building or town.

96. Watch a thunderstorm from your front porch.

97. Go ice skating, and out for cocoa afterwards. 

98. Build a snowman.

99. Write short letters to each other, or collaborate on a journal entry about your life together, and seal them. Open in 20 or 30 years.

100. Get up early and watch the sunrise together, then watch later as it goes down. Toast to another lucky day together. 

Hope these ideas are interesting for those of you looking to spice things up a little! I'm lucky to have married an incredibly fun, handsome and hardworking man, and I plan to implement these dates into our life together. It's especially important now that we're parents. After all, the kids wouldn't be here if it weren't for our love for each other. I think we should pay homage to that! 

In closing, because I'm feeling cheesy (I am NOT a "romantic") and in love, here are some lovey-dovey photos of my husband and me, in moments when we were feeling crazy about each other. Here's to many more of those!