How My Health & Nutrition Has Come Such A Long Way in Just a Few Short Months

As a [newly diagnosed] Crohn’s disease and [long time] IBS sufferer, I am burdened with symptoms such as severe digestive irregularity, fatigue and the inability to properly absorb and digest the nutrients which I consume. My symptoms were so severe they became debilitating. Although I’ve dealt with feelings of defeat, disbelief, and denial; thoughts of “why is this happening to me” and “this is never going to get better,” I can say that I have made a complete 180 in the severity of my symptoms. I couldn’t be happier. There is still progress to be made but it’s not as bad as it had been.

 Let’s take a trip back in time to where it all started...

The beginning of my Journey to what is wrong with Rachel

I was first diagnosed with IBS, irritable bowel syndrome, when I was 15 years old. It was pretty controlled up until about 3 years ago after having my second child. It was about 6 months after having my second child that my symptoms became severe. I suffered for two years with stress induced and food triggered IBS. In January of 2014, it became so severe I had trouble leaving the house. My digestion was extremely irregular. I was exhausted and irritable all the time and I spent hours every day in the bathroom. There were days I couldn’t even leave my house, not even to take my kids outside to play. In September, I had suffered with the severity for so long I ended up having to quit my job. After a negative result for Celiac Disease, my GI doctor and I both agreed we would try to treat my condition as IBS.

 I had to try many different ways to reduce my stress and start eating healthier. I had to follow special elimination diets, various different medications for my stomach and for my anxiety, and try to implement yoga or other activity into my daily life,  I spent about a year doing this, to experience barely any relief! I did however see much personal growth from this.

When it came to eating, I could not absorb anything I ate. I lost about 30 pounds in one of the unhealthiest ways there could ever be to losing weight. Every time I ate, my intestines would become spastic and my body would completely flush everything out of my system; before it even had a chance to digest. I was literally getting NO nutrition. This left me with that wonderful (not) symptom of fatigue. When I say fatigue, I mean severe. I would get tired just from standing! While my boyfriend and I would have a conversation in the kitchen I would have to sit down on one of my children’s stools because my body just couldn’t even stand there. It was terrible; and with two young children (4 & 2 at the time) it was so mentally defeating knowing that I just didn’t have the energy to be the best mom I could be to them.

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This fall my daughter started school and it was those afternoons when my fatigue would be the highest and I felt such guilt that I was too tired for my daughter after not seeing her all day while she was at school. The fatigue symptoms were challenging because it not only made me tired but it left me irritable and with a very short fuse. I carried so much guilt, but I thought there is nothing I can do about this.

How Crohn's Disease Affects the Body

In October 2015 I finally decided “I can’t live like this,” continuing these “experiments” of reducing IBS symptoms to no relief and scheduled a colonoscopy for October and a cat scan for November 2015. During the colonoscopy they found ulcers and inflammation at the end of my small intestine, and the cat scan showed inflammation in the same area on the outside of the intestine. This led to my official diagnosis of Crohn’s disease. Directly following the cat scan, my GI prescribed me my first set of steroids (Enticorte) that were supposed to help begin the remission process. Honestly, they did absolutely nothing for me or my symptoms.

I finally got to the point where I was just like “OKAY, you know what? I am going to give this Shakeology a shot! If anything, I’ll at least know by body is getting some proper nutrition and I’ll be able to stop taking my probiotics. I’m sick of taking medicine and capsules of EVERYTHING!” I signed up as a coach and received my first shipment of Vegan Shakeology the second week of December. I personally chose the Vegan shakes because I have lactose intolerance and wasn’t sure how whey would affect me.

Shakeology has changed so much for me! 

I actually have the energy to play with my kids and spend enjoyable time with them without feeling weak or fatigued.

December 2015 was my first month of Shakeology! I did have to slowly introduce it to my system for the first 2 days. Within the first week my energy levels were higher and my fatigue was almost non-existent! I felt like my old self again! I had energy! I didn’t get tired just standing there and I had energy to be the mom I want to be with my kids.

I was hooked after that!

I spent a good two years thinking there was no end in sight to these debilitating symptoms. A very long two years wondering if I was ever going to feel better again, believing there was nothing I could do about it.

But there was, and it was as simple as drinking Shakeology every day, guaranteeing that I would be getting seriously needed nutrition and that my body and mind would be able to perform better in all of my roles.  I am currently (February 2016) entering month 3 of drinking Shakeology every day. It is still successfully demolishing that ugly fatigue symptom and I am seeing more regulation with my digestive issues. I do at this point still take medications for IBS and Crohns, but by far the Shakeology has had more effectiveness than the Crohn’s medication has. . I have seen more regulation in my digestion, I no longer have to take a multitude of probiotics, daily vitamins and other supplemental capsules, my body is absorbing the nutrients it needs to stay healthy and my energy levels have risen significantly. 

All in all, Shakeology has by far allowed me to see the most improvement with my symptoms. I am beyond thankful I found this amazing (and delicious) way to help properly nourish my body and relieve some of my worst symptoms! I cannot say it has “cured” me. I have Crohn’s and it is incurable. But I will say, with the honest truth, that Shakeology has made the biggest and most effective impact on my, my symptoms, my health and my life. 

So what exactly is Shakeology? Shakeology is an extremely nutrient dense shake. It's more than just a protein shake. As depicted in the picture above it contains so much more than your typical protein drink or supplemental drinks. Shakeology contains more than 60 natural ingredients from around the world!  The co-creator Darin Olien literally travels around the world studying, researching, and locating the most whole, nutrient rich super foods the Earth has to offer us. (I want his job!) Sadly, most of the ingredients are not from America because of the amount of GMO products that are grown here. However, this is reassuring, knowing that these ingredients are not contaminated and are picked in their purest, most natural forms. How often do you come across something like this? 

Check out Darin Olien on Shakeology here!! I love his passion!

If you are interested in learning more about Shakeology and would like more info follow the links below:

Contact me through my Facebook page

Check out Shakeology 

or email me at rachelina2317 at gmail dot com 

**Disclaimer: Shakeology is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. However we do have thousands of customer testimonials and success stories featuring a wide variety of health issues that have been helped. Please reference Facebook.com/Shakeology and Shakeology.com/results-reviews-success-stories for more information.**

Decide. Commit. Succeed.

A couple of months ago I decided to take the plunge and started my own business as a fitness and wellness coach! While the business aspect has been a bit slow starting for me I have made incredible improvements in my health, fitness, personal growth and development and have made some amazing friends. To deter feelings of discouragement and defeat I have to keep reminding myself that, as with any start-up business, it takes time to start and grow your business. It doesn't all happen at once.

I chose this line of work because there are so many benefits and an infinite amount of learning criteria. The potential to earn is an incredible opportunity especially since I am a stay at home mom, but that is not the only benefit nor is it my main goal. Yes of course I want to create an income. I would love to be able to contribute financially for our family; help pay off the house, work our way to purchasing our second home, stay current and up to-date with our bills, be able to take our family on vacations, have financial freedom and comfort. Yes, with this business it is possible and it's definitely a motivator but it's not my main motivator. 

My motivation stems from the fact that I want to be my best self, to live my fullest and most wholesome life. To live healthy and strong, fit and confident. To gain experience, to continue learning and have the opportunity to help others find a way to live their lives fulfilled.

I long felt that I just didn't know what my purpose in life was. I was afraid to go to college because I was afraid it would end up being wasted money in a degree I would most likely never use. That was something I took note of growing up that happened to people around me and I didn't want that to happen to me. I didn't want a job where I was stuck behind a desk or a a career that I spent 80% of my day working. I was afraid to be tied down, suffocated and unhappy in a job I didn't feel passionate about. What job could I do that would actually mean something in my life? Not to say that any of the jobs my readers are working aren't good jobs, you may be very fulfilled with your career choices and that is fantastic and I am so glad for you. But for me I never felt a passion for anything I've really done. Until now.  

Looking back now, I see that it all has worked out the way it was meant to so far. The one thing I knew I wanted to be in my life was a mother. I had always looked forward to being a mom. Today I am blessed to say that I am a mother of two and I have the opportunity to stay home with them. During the frustrating moments I may take it for granted, but overall I would never want it to be any other way. One of the deciding factors of transitioning to staying home was my medical issues. When we first made the decision that I would officially quit my job I was severely sick with IBS, irritable bowel syndrome. It was the longest year of my life, longest two years until finally receiving an official diagnosis of Crohn's Disease. When I put the recent events of the last 5 years into perspective with my adult life, and lack of a career choice, I am extremely grateful for the way things have worked out. If I had made a career choice in my past I probably would have lost all of my success in whatever that career was after having kids and getting sick. If it had been a job I loved I would have been dealing with even more stress than I already was. I have been stuck in a tug-o-war between having to leave my job I loved and staying home with the kids to be a full-time mom and get my health back. I know parents, especially moms, have been there and it's not a decision I would want anyone to have to make.

My journey to live a healthier life began when I got sick. It allowed me to change my perspective and I learned that I need to take care of myself. I realized that the most important aspect of my life, the one that needs to be treated with respect, is ME. How can I live my best possible life if I am not taking care of me? You are the creator of your own happiness and that includes your health. This was one the biggest things I've realized in the past 2 years and it has led me to where I am now. 

I am finding the ways to live healthy, in as many aspects as I can. I am taking action and make changes to my daily life that will enable me to live everyday full and healthy. Yes, of course, I have my bad days. We all do. And this is only the beginning; this career choice, becoming a fitness and health coach, learning more about my self and how to live my best life. From this I have committed myself to my life and my journey. I have made a commitment with myself to use everyday as a new step to living a healthy life. And I am committing myself to my business and helping others along the way. That is my favorite part of this business, besides the required personal development. 

As a part of my commitment, I entered myself in the Beachbody Challenge for the program PiYo. My challenge started February 1st.  This challenge is a 60 day commitment to myself; my body and fitness, my nutrition and my self-discipline. As a part of this challenge I need to follow the program schedule and workout everyday. I also need to follow the PiYo Lean Eating guide, this is the part I slacked on the first time around using this program. The workouts aren't a biggy for me, I mean they are tough and they work you. But I've been doing them almost everyday for the last two months and they are my favorite workout. It is a combination of pilates, yoga, and cardio. The hardest part of this challenge is the eating! I really need to create stricter eating habits, which is ironic considering nutrition was the aspect of this whole wellness path that got me started. But I really needed to put my foot down and take action. Finishing this challenge will not only help me get, and stay, fit and active, it will also help me create better eating habits AND I'll get a free t-shirt and entered into a $$ prize drawing! 

During my prep-week the week before my challenge I had to really sit down and plan my first week! I needed to come up with a way to make sure I ate the proper amounts of everything and was eating the right foods! The eating guide simplifies this for you by giving you a calorie target plan and the number of servings you should be eating each day, of each food group per plan. That was the simple part. The hard part was making sure I actually was eating the right things, I wasn't skipping meals or binge eating at night. Carbs! Carbs have been the hardest part! I'm limited to two tiny servings of carbs. This is hard for a potato girl! However, I knew that this was my weakness so I had to figure out something to eliminate this hurdle. 

Enter in Food Prep Fridays! I scoured Pinterest for hours trying to find the perfect meal plan printable, however I ended up making one myself so that I could start my meal week on Friday. That's weird I know, but our payday is Thursday so that is the day we grocery shop and Friday's are also my "rest day". It just made sense to me to start the "weekly menu" on a Friday. It worked very well during week 1 and it even helped me stay on track with my eating over the weekend. Which I'm sure we can all agree that weekends are when our habits slack the most! I even created a little "portion tracker sheet" so that I can track my servings of each food category throughout the day! This has been really helpful because I have a clear visual of whether or not I am meeting the required amount of servings and foods. 

I have officially fallen in love with meal prep and having a designated "make ahead" day! I couldn't believe how much time I saved throughout the week by making my lunches ahead of time! This week my little man and I prepared our breakfasts and my lunches for the coming week. I decided in an attempt to cut down those carbs I would have salads for lunch everyday, this also is helping me get in those five servings of [fresh] vegetables. A big thank you to Pinterest and the infamous Mason Jar Salads!! I love mason jars! I use them for everything you could think of throughout the house as well as their original purpose, canning. But oh the inspiration I received from all of those Pinterest photos of mason jar salads! Ah-May-Zing! Seriously though, these things are fantastic! I did not once have to wonder this week "what am I going to eat for lunch?" I did not have to dirty any extra dishes during the week or take 15-30 minutes out of each day trying to come up with something healthy and then executing it. Grab a mason jar salad out of the fridge, empty contents into bowl or plate. Wah-la. Badabing. It's done! Keepin' It Simple.

My other big make ahead time saver for the week... Egg Muffins! Freaking genius! I eat eggs every single morning. No joke. Every morning its either two over-easy eggs or a two egg omelette with veggies. First things I consume everyday are coffee and then protein. Protein. Picture a zombie in the morning moaning "protein... must. have. protein." This is me, actually I'm not too zombie-ish, I'm one of those annoying "Good morning the sun is shining and you're beautiful" type of people. Just don't talk to me before I've had my coffee and protein, okay?! Anyway, back to the eggs! So if you're an egg eater that means you are standing over the stove every morning, dirtying a pan and a spatula and whatever else you need for your eggs...every day. I'm trying to be efficient here and get the most out of my day... cooking eggs is wasting my time. Again thank you Pinterest, for the inspiration to make egg muffins! So simple! My little man and I prepared 12 egg muffins with tomato, orange peppers and spinach. Each muffin is about 1 egg, so two of these adorable and tasty egg muffins is my serving of protein for the morning. Little man loves them too! Now all we have to do for breakfast the next 4 or 5 days is pop these muffins into the microwave and again Wah-la! Badabing! Time saved, nutrition granted! 

I told you, I am committed to this challenge! Yeah, I had to make some changes in my routine and habits to make this challenge work for me. But they weren't the end of the world and it wasn't that hard! It's not hard to make changes or commit yourself to something. It's a decision to make lifestyle change. Why wait until something our of your control comes around and changes things for you? Make those decisions to change something in your life, even something as simple as making a "Meal Prep Day." If you fully commit yourself to the things you want in life you will achieve them! 

This is about it for my week 1 take-away! I really enjoyed going back to the first couple of workouts in the program this week. I was able to put a little more focus on my form and I noticed A LOT  of changes in my strength, balance and flexibility than when I first started the program [back in March of 2015 and again consistently starting in November 2015.] So that was something I found really exciting this week! And of course the biggest take away from this week was the development of some new eating habits and planning habits that will be of extreme use to me for, gee I dunno, maybe the rest of my days! ;)

Decide! Decide to do something for yourself, to better you and your life. 

Commit! Create a plan of action and commit every bit of yourself to the decision you made. Challenge yourself and be your own cheerleader! Root yourself on along the way. You're opinion of yourself is the only one that matters.

Succeed! Stay consistent in your commitments! Persist and persevere. Give it time, stay on course and you will see results and you will have succeeded.

Are you ready to make a decision to change your life today? Head on over to and follow my Facebook Page. I would be honored to help you reach your goals in fitness, health and/or this amazing career opportunity. 

 
P.S. This is my little accountability partner lately. My kitty Garfield. He visits me everyday while I am on my yoga mat, watches while I work out and always jumps in my lap when I sit down at the computer to work! :)

Getting Lean the PiYo way!

My fitness journey really kicked in to gear in January of 2015. I was pretty unhealthy. I was struggling with severe digestive issues and this lead to feelings of both increasing depression and anxiety. I spent a year and a half sick, depressed and anxious about when I would be sick next and even worse WHERE I would be when it happened. It wasn't a good time. But I am a firm believer of reason and today I am beginning to see the chain of events that have lead me to where I am now.

Through all of the sickness, depression and anxiety I was able to say to myself "this is it!"
I was DONE feeling sorry for myself. I was DONE letting this unknown cause of ailments control my life and every aspect of it! I was DONE being miserable! That wasn't me and it didn't reflect well. I didn't want to be angry anymore. I didn't want to be tired. I needed to heal myself in as many ways as I could.

I made 5 major changes in my life.

• I found a therapist.
• I started eating healthier and followed a Low FODMAP diet. Suggested for people with IBS.
• I had previous experience with pilates, so I took up Yoga. 
• I incorporated mindfulness practices; meditating, the chakras, LOTS of personal development, mindful of my body and my personal hormonal cycles, stress triggers. 
• I joined a fitness accountability group of total strangers on facebook (This was a leap!)

I have made so many improvements this past year I could go on for paragraphs! But I won't do that just now! What I want to focus on in this post is the fitness aspect! 

I DO NOT have a big fitness background in my past. I was the skinny, lanky, dorky kid that grew up with braces and glasses and SUCKED at sports and gym. I found pilates a few years back and loved it, but only really did it here and there. But I knew that I needed to exercise. Exercise helps you in so many ways. I took up yoga about a month before I joined the accountability group and it was in that group that I found this motivation and confidence I didn't know I had when it came to fitness! 

So my go-to's were pilates and yoga. I love yoga. Its calming and relaxing. It helps build strength and flexibility. But sometimes it is just too slow. There were days that I felt I needed more UMPH. Know what I mean? 

I decided to give this program, PiYo, a try! 

What is PiYo? PiYo was created by Chalene Johnson and is literally the PERFECT combination of pilates, yoga and cardio! It is low impact but man is it intense! You are gaining strength and flexibility while burning some SERIOUS calories! 

With this program I have gained stability in certain yoga poses and strength in areas of my body that did not have the strength I needed. I have become more flexible, I have gained balanced and I have become more mindful of my posture. And I have fallen in love with exercise and it's benefits!

However, I didn't take the PiYo Challenge! The amazing thing about Beachbody programs, like PiYo, 21 Day Fix, Insanity, P90x, is that when you purchase through your coach or teambeachbody you don't only get just the program! You get a schedule, a coach, a support system, an eating guide and whole slew of other things! You get every ingredient you need to get results! With the BeachBody Challenge you get all of those and more + a free t-shirt for completing the program of choice AND entered into some drawings to receive some $$$$. Your success story could even be one of the many that is shared throughout our company. 

Since I didn't enter into the challenge the first time around (nor did I stick to the schedule or the eating plan) I am going to be doing it right this time around and getting MORE results! 

Starting February 1st, I will be entering into the BeachBody Challenge for the PiYo program and I am looking for others who want to change their lives. With the program, you're not just improving your fitness. You're learning how to eat right and what to eat, you're learning self-discipline. You are putting yourself first and doing something entirely beneficial for YOU as a person! How can you know what success feels like until you are at the very end of your goals and you get to look back and say "WOW, I did this!" You gain confidence and pride! And we can't forget, with this program, you'll also get lean and toned.

        

Whether you are looking to lose weight or seriously tone up your body, this program could be great for you! It's total-body workouts using your OWN resistance! No weights! No crazy workout equipment! A yoga mat is recommended however! It's awesome for men and women alike, beginners in fitness to those fitness extremists! And it is So. Much. Fun. 

If you're a facebook go-er  you can find more information on this PiYo event challenge Here, just click interested for the event and I will be in touch!  

Also check out my Wellness Page on facebook to follow my journey and get some daily tips, motivation or inspiration! I have a FREE accountability group on facebook for those interested in really getting serious about making health, fitness and over-all wellness goals in their lives, just shoot my Wellness Page a message!

For more information click any of the links on this page or email me at rachelina2317@gmail.com.

LET'S MAKE 2016 OUR BEST YEAR YET!! #GETRESULTS 

Your Most Powerful Attribute: Your Thoughts [Believe in Yourself]

A wise and powerful [fictional] man once said "Of course it is happening inside your head Harry, but why on Earth should that mean it is not real?" Yes that was Professor Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. If you know me, you know that Harry Potter is basically a part of my daily life, always. If you haven't seen or read the books, tisk tisk, go read the books and then see the movies! (Also, thank you J.K. Rowling since you really said it, Dumbledore can't get all the credit.)

Anyway! That quote! When the word belief is used or thought of, that quote (in Dumbledore's voice of course) is the first thing that comes into my mind. This quote resonates with me so much, especially whenever I believe that I can do something or when I am battling self-doubt.

Do you have goals but you never really achieve them? They are there one week and then self doubt sinks in and they are gone? Or you think you just are good enough or good at what you do?

Belief is powerful! Belief is necessary. Believe in yourself! Believe in what you want, in what you are doing, in who you are! 

For the longest time, I struggled with believing in myself. I carried so much self-doubt, daily. I believed that I wasn't a good mom, that I wasn't a good stay at home mom, that I wasn't good at my job or that my job (at the time) was pointless and worthless. I believed everyday that there was something wrong with me. With the way I act or the way I feel too much, I thought everything about myself was wrong!

And you know what? I was right! I had it in my head that there was something wrong with me, that I wasn't good at anything I was doing. It was happening in my head and so that is what I was 1)what my constant energy was putting out into the Universe and 2)receiving back from the Universe.

I didn't believe in myself! I kept trying to find a reason for WHY I was doing everything wrong. What hidden reason was there that I was doing something wrong? Was it something from my past that messed up my head and ability to handle emotions? Was it raging hormones after having two kids (yes, sometimes this one is accurate.) Was is the nagging fact that I never went to college or did anything with my life so I'm useless??

NO!! It wasn't anyone of those things! I was trying to find a way to place the blame on something else when really it all came down to two things! Belief  and The Law of Attraction!

The Law of Attraction is the most fundamental of all Universal Laws! It is basically a universal law stating everything you think is what you attract. What you believe is what you attract and this works both negatively and positively.

The mind is your most powerful tool. What you think, that energy is put out into the universe and you're going to attract more of it. When I would sit here and think "I am useless and something is wrong with me," I was attracting more and more of those feelings because I was thinking them. I was believing them. I had so much self-doubt that all I was attracting were more ways to feel and carry self-doubt! It was a vicious cycle that was leading me no where and I needed to get out of it.

A little over a month ago I decided to take a giant leap out of self-pity and self-doubt, out of my comfort zone and delve into something that at the time I thought was so out of my element. I became a self-employed fitness and health coach through an amazing company and something sparked and ignited this amazing fire inside of me. Belief!

With my new job, although its slow to begin, one of your 3 "vital behaviors" or rules that you should do everyday is Personal Development. Personal development is something that I love anyway because I am always trying to be "better," but this has been LIFE CHANGING! I read, meditate, listen and watch all types of personal development, whether its training for work, inspiration for self and life, or even ways to stop procrastinating!

The number one thing I need to do everyday is BELIEVE in myself! I need to believe in ME!!! I need to be proud of who I am! And I am! I am so proud of who I am, of who I am becoming, of the goals that I want to achieve and I believe in every single one of them.

 But I am not perfect and the best part of my day is when I start to get even just that slither of self-doubt that says "Rachel, come on, you are not a coach. Who are you kidding? You aren't going to achieve these goals! None of what you are thinking can really happen. You are not being realistic!" And immediately after I think to myself "Yes I AM! Yes it is realistic! I BELIEVE in myself! These beliefs are in my head and in my soul and they are not going anywhere!" and Dumbledore's voice comes into my head and says "Of course it is happening inside your head Harry, but why on Earth should that mean it is not real?" 

BOOM... Self-doubt shattered!!! Because he is right! WHY ON EARTH CAN'T YOUR BELIEFS BE REAL??? Whether they are good or bad, preferably good, your thoughts are real. Belief and that law of attraction go hand in hand. What you are believing, what you are thinking is going out into the universe and it comes back to you and it IS happening. Good or bad!

BELIEVE in yourself! Believe in the good that you can do, the amazing person that you are. Those beliefs are real! Kick those negative beliefs to the curb, don't let those negative thoughts release into the universe and become your reality. Believe positively in yourself and love yourself for who you are and for what you are and could be capable of!

We are all so lucky to be here. Be grateful for that. And BELIEVE that you can achieve your goals, that you can be the best person you can be, that you ARE the best person you can be. BELIEVE.
What is happening inside your head is real. Don't allow that self-doubt to be your reality! Acknowledge those thoughts and then push them aside, "Avada Kedavra" them thoughts if you'd like ;) and then replace them with the truth of who and what you are! Make your beliefs positive and they will become your reality.

Believe in yourself, in your light, in your soul and in your life.

Always,
Rachel

The Beginning of My Adventure in Wellness Coaching

Here I go! It is December, the last month of 2015. The time of year where we gear up for the holidays, reflect on the year passed and think about what goals we may or may not keep in the New Year. Well, I'm doing things a little differently this year! Of course I'm gearing up for the holidays and I'll be reflecting on the year passed in a moment the one thing I'm doing differently... I've already made my goals for the New Year. 

Better yet, I've already committed to them and began working on them and transitioning my lifestyle to work for them. I have made choices to change and for the better. I am officially (in-training) a Fitness and Wellness Coach for the company BeachBody. And holy crap am I excited. It's crazy! And a year ago, this is so not where I thought I would be right now. 

Let me back track a bit, especially for those who don't know me. I was diagnosed with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) when I was 15 (almost 12 years ago.) It disrupted life here and there but otherwise it wasn't much of a concern, until I had my second child two years ago. Then everything took a turn for the worse. I was having severe digestive problems and they were getting worse everyday. I ended up having to lessen my hours at work and then ultimately leave my job a year ago because I was in no fit state to be able to work under the conditions I was facing. It was tough. I ended up jobless and depressed. Since I was still under the impression that I had IBS I realized I needed to make some seriously life changes. (I have since been diagnosed with Crohn's as of November 2015.)

IBS can be triggered by the foods you eat, so I was on my own experimental elimination diet for about a year and a half. 

IBS can be triggered by stress and anxiety, so I contacted a counselor, was prescribed anxiety medication, but also knew I need to come up with my OWN mental toolbox of sorts of ways to practice living a calmer life. One of my ways to relax was to practice yoga, which ended up making me realize I liked and felt my bodies need to be active. 

The 3 Things I needed to work on at the beginning of 2015:

• Eating Healthier
• Stressing Less, Practice Mindfulness Techniques
• Exercising

And then one day a Facebook friend, shared a post by this wonderful woman who coached a fitness and health accountability group. You know that Law of Attraction thing??! Yeah, this was it for me! The universe was basically screaming at me "Rachel! Right here, this is exactly what you need!!" And I joined, I was so scared because I only knew literally 1 person in this group, but I did it! I joined! I knew that if I had a group of people or even this one coach who was there to support or cheer me on, people that were on somewhat of the same level of wanting to better themselves, that I would stay accountable with my actions! Honestly, the more I shared with the group, or even just checked in to see how others were doing the more I became motivated and inspired to keep growing.

Growing! That's what we do in life right? In childhood our bodies grow. After our bodies grow, we have to not only maintain them but allow our minds to grow as well. That is what I'm doing in life. I want to grow as a person, mother, friend, motivator. 

After a year of growing with this group of ladies and my amazing coach; after being on the fence about so many at-home job opportunities since I still can't work outside the home; and after realizing how happy I feel about the choices I am making I decided it was time to share it with others. 

I am officially a BeachBody coach!! I am a fitness and wellness coach!!

It is so exciting when you take the reins, take control of your life. Only you can create your own happiness, you know that right? And if you forgot, this is your reminder!! 

I want to share my story and my growth with everyone who wants to make changes in their lives. Be it mentally, physically, or nutrition! Motivating and inspiring others not only feels amazing, it is amazing. Something changed my life, someone stood by and gave me their support and wisdom and inspiration to keep going and to make those changes. That someone was my coach and she has become a friend that I am more than blessed and thankful to have made. 

I want to be that someone for someone else. I want to inspire those who want to make changes, I want them to believe that they can do it, to motivate them. To see them achieve their successes, while still also achieving mine in the process. I think what we can do to help other people just surpasses so much of the wrong in this world. 

I finally found something I am passionate about and its this! It's living a healthy and well life. It's engaging with others and helping them overcome their obstacles. It's about growing as a person and inspiring others to grow as the human beings that we were made to be. We were given such an amazing opportunity, being born into these amazing human bodies. Why not live them to our fullest and try to better these lives we were given as much as we can! That is what I am passionate about. And I hope that in your own way you are too! 

I am so excited for this new adventure. I can't wait to connect and reconnect with the people that I already know and meet new people along the way. 

Are you ready to make your goals and lifestyle changes? 

On Facebook?

Check out my Wellness page here

If you would like to become a member of my accountability group you can message me on the wellness page above or email me at My email

Not on Facebook but interested in joining? Click the email link above :)

Interested in becoming a BeachBody member: Click Here

Interested in Shakeology: Click Here

(Pidgeon Pose: One of my favorite)

Taking the Command

The people who know me really well know that I love to organize, I like to do-it-myself, and I LOVE to make lists. The organization thing really crumbled after having kids. The cupboards no longer stay in order, labels don't face out, kids make cities with boxes and can towers, and somehow the syrup is on the same shelf as the pasta sauces and canned vegies; the DVDs are not only not in alphabetical order but they are also non-existent to the prying hands and slobbery mouths of babies and toddlers. My books are hidden, terribly saddening, and the photo albums are stored away too. Nothing is safe when you have little hands running around at knee to hip height. I can only control what is stored at a certain height. Dishes and the closets... thats about it.

Last year I officially became a stay at home mom and I am really thankful for it. There are so many positives with staying at home but there are some negatives as well. One of those negatives is the lack of daily structure and routine. I have struggled this past year in trying to find the right way to really help me structure my day. I need to know what I'm doing, have a game-plan. I need to SEE it written down, to see myself writing it down. Doing so almost engraves it in my mind and I am less likely to forget. I sort of home-schooled my then three year old last year along with daily vision therapy exercises; that was where my adventure in finding the best structure and plan for my day began.

I first tried a Home Management Binder. I made dividers throughout from scrapbooking paper and made sections for the daily goals, cleaning, meal planning, financial, medical, house. Basically everything in one binder. Which worked really well for the Financial, Medical and Home categories. All of the important receipts, medical papers, important home documents and random things that eventually need to be filed away. But for the house cleaning, meal planning, and daily planning I just wasn't feeling the "have a whole big binder out on the counter all day" kinda groove. It wasn't working.  I printed out a blank weekly planner sheet and stuck it in a clear page protector and put it on the fridge. That sort of worked, the dry erase part is awesome, but it was over on the fridge and my calendar was on a different wall and my daily planner journal was on the counter. Doing circles. All day.

The daily journal worked the best of all of those because essentially I did have everything for the coming months there in one little book. But that was also the problem, it was little, and I'd have to flip through a bunch of pages to find the full month calendar. Not efficient enough for me.

And so I made a Command Center. And I love it. It is almost perfect. Nothing can ever be perfect, there is always room for change and improvement. But so far it is working fabulously!

This was really easy to make! All frames are from the dollar store and I use them as Dry Erase boards; cuts down on my paper list usage! The only thing not dry erase is the calendar! I ordered a large, much larger than I thought, 16 month desk calendar. With kids and stuff there's a lot of prescheduled appointments and events that need to be marked months away. I need to have everything together. I'm not very good at scheduling in my phone, it never works right. I'm not always compatible with todays technology!

The calendar is of course color coded. Each of the family members appointments or events are written in their specific color. By the end of the month, the calendar is very colorful. Color coding really helps me, it is definitive of who has what going on.

In one of the frames is this awesome quote that my Beachbody coach had shared with our group one day and I fell in love with it. It is the perfect affirmation that not only reminds you daily but also in the long term. When I read it everyday, I'm not only setting myself up for a positive day but I am also setting myself up for a positive outlook towards the future.

This frame is strictly for me! This frame is not meant for chores or to do lists or family reminders. "Love Thy Self" is there for me, for my reminders to focus on myself. Whether it be a workout I want to get done, nutritional or medical advice for myself, a personal affirmation for the day, or a reminder on something personal that I am focusing on, this is where that goes!

I made a "High Priority List" because honestly there are so many TO-DO's everyday. I write my TOP 3 to dos for the day here. They don't have to be chores, but for me they usually are. Some days it could be "finish crochet project," "update blog," or any other non chore related thing I need to get done that day. Rate your to-do list from most important to least important and your first 3 go here!

This is where I write daily and weekly reminders such as calls to make, appointments coming up that week, gift purchases that need to be made. I like it all right there!

And then we have the Cleaning list! Because, frankly, I suck at keeping track at what I have and have not cleaned! How I made this chart was I kind of just tried to think of what I chores I do daily, weekly and monthly and what chores I would like or feel I should be doing daily, monthly or weekly.

The good thing about this since I made this on my computer is that if its not working out for me I can go back and edit and reprint whatever additions or removals are needed. It took a little bit of thought but I did it and I love it! And honestly I do not do all the daily stuff and I don't think I have once checked off everything in any column but oh well. Stuff is getting done, I can see its getting done and that's all that matters.


I put this up about a month ago now and it's STILL working for me so I think I have finally found a command center that works for me! I use it everyday, in the mornings I stand in front of it with my hot, fresh cup of coffee  while planning and reviewing the day!

Hope this inspires other Mommas out there to find their way to take command!!

The Beginning of a New Chapter [In Parenthood]

This week marks the beginning of a new chapter in this journey called parenthood. Yesterday, my first born started Pre-K. In New York they have a program called Universal Pre Kindergarten that is free [thankfully] for children age 4. In the city we live in, the UPK program is located in one of their elementary schools and is a full day program.

Most of me has been jumping for joy for this moment while a smaller part of me is maybe a tad bit sad. Not sad, but maybe just still in this solemn shock that my baby girl is growing up. Otherwise though, I have been very excited and looking forward to this moment. Not only for my sanity as I am a stay at home mom and in the day to day it can be quite trying; but also for my daughter to start a new chapter in her life.

Gone are the days where it doesn't matter what time we get up, not that it was ever later than 7:30 anyway. Gone are the days of a less strict bedtime.

In their place are mornings of getting up at the same time everyday, making sure Girly follows her morning routine exact, preparing lunch and snacks every morning, following a more strict bedtime routine, and checking her "home" folder.

It's an adjustment for us all, a welcome adjustment. One that is only the beginning, next year and every year after this will be more of an adjustment with the additions of homework, heavy backpacks, and sports. [I am trying not to think about this.]

Parenthood is such a journey, always a challenge, always something new. In the beginning its babies finding their toes, learning to crawl, eating solid food, walking and talking. The toddler years when your little one is learning his or her independence, figuring out all the new things there are in the world that seem so amazing to them. Like "oh I can open this door now" or "look at me, I climbed up the chair and onto the table."

Everyday is a new adventure, for you and for them. And then it comes time for them to go to school and you're just like "already?"

I am ultimately excited for her to start this new adveture of her life. Socializing, learning classroom rules, how to better follow instructions, learning new things. Today is only her second day, but her face as she is walking into school is just incredible to me. She has this smile, this smile that is glued to her face by a mixture of shock, excitement, and amazement. It isn't an ear to ear grin but rather this small smile with eyes that are unbelieving almost. She can hardly say a word as she is walking in the doors. I find myself remember moments in childhood when I felt the same way that she does now. It brings me nothing but joy for her, to know that she is feeling that feeling, to know that she is happy, to know that what she is seeing is so amazing to her that she can barely speak.

I am excited for myself and my little fella at home too. Besides when I am babysitting, this is the beginning of he and I having some one on one time. The beginning of his adventure in learning new things, being taught by mommy like his big sister was. He is my big helper around the house, helps me clean. His favorites are unloading and loading the dishwasher, rinsing dishes, sweeping and helping Mom fold laundry. I am savoring these moments of having such a great big helper, because I am sure by this time next year he will no longer want to help me. Just like his sister. Next up on his toddler journey will be potty training. I am hoping he is quicker to learn than his sister, who was naked waste down for about 5 months before she turned 3.

It really just goes by so fast. The day to day is slow, dragging, challenging, and testing, with moments of joy and happiness and moments of [almost] complete sanity loss. The days are slow but the years fly by. Time is a funny thing, fickle really. Before I know it, both of my children will be graduating highschool. Until then, every day, week, month and year is the beginning of something new and the ending of something old.

This is the beginning of our new chapter; Girly's new chapter of going to school and my new chapter of having my first school age child.

I wish her every day be more fabulous than the last and may she learn something new and find something new that she loves each and every day.