Really?

Hey everyone! It's been a while! 

My husband and I took a trip on short notice last week, and it switched up my schedule a little. It's a bit difficult to blog from the road, so I threw my blogging to the back burner for a couple of days, but I'm back! 

I have been talking to some friends and family lately about health, and our conception of it, and that lead to what I want to talk about today.

You're probably not getting enough calories. If you are, then you're probably not getting enough nutrients.

Really? 

Yep. R.E.A.L.L.Y!

Let me go a little science nerd on you for a minute to explain:

1. You're wanting to drop a few pounds so you're going to lower your calorie intake to make that happen. (Applause) BUT, there is a FINE LINE there... lowering your calorie intake will encourage your body to resort to burning off stored fat, yes, but lower your intake too much, and whammy! It'll backfire on you. 

Now, I can't give you a number and tell you exactly how many calories you should be eating during the day because there are so many factors that vary that outcome, but I will suggest that if you are a woman, you should be trying to get at least 1200+ per day, and about 1500+ for men. This is even if you live a sedentary lifestyle. If you are working out and active, you'll want to increase your intake accordingly. There are calculators online what can give you a less generalized estimate if you're interested.

2. "I get enough calories, but I am not loosing any weight." Are you getting the right nutrients, and how are your portion sizes? There are a number of problems that could be happening here, but I'd like to focus on the two that I see most often:

First, you are eating huge portions infrequently throughout the day. Stop that! Do you realize that your stomach is really only about the size of your fist? When you eat, it expands, and the more you eat, the larger it gets. That means that the next time you eat, you will eat more to fill full because there is more space to fill. Ideally, you should be eating about 6 small meals/day. (Meals that are about the size of your fist). This will encourage your stomach to keep it's form while you still get your recommended calories.

Second, you are eating enough during the day, but what you are eating is not fueling your body. There are certain nutrients that the body must have to function properly, and there are myriads of foods out there that have zero nutritional value for you. So you eat them, and perhaps get some energy from them, but not much more. When you do this regularly, your body goes into starvation mode. It's like putting diesel in a gas engine... you can fill up the tank as much as you want, but it's not going to take your car anywhere. When your body goes into starvation mode, it will convert anything it can into a usable form, and generally that means fat. It will also try to store the fat for you to use on a day when you need it. The problem with this is, we don't live like our ancestors. We live in a society where food is readily available, in very poor form. We keep eating when we don't need to, so our bodies don't use that fat that has been placed into storage on our thunder-thighs, love-handles, and spare-tires... So the body grows, and becomes very unhealthy. 

There is so much more science and variety to that story, but that is basically how it works, and I didn't want to bore you anymore! Try to identify which category your fall into, and then tackle what you struggle with! I'd just like to add that while we do have the most unhealthy of choices available to us, we also have some of the most healthy options around us as well. Just remember to treat food like fuel. You wouldn't go to the gas pump and poor fuel out over the ground just because it smells good, or you're addicted to it... don't waste your food like that either. Don't waste food and let it gain control of your life, and most importantly, don't life for food, but do EAT TO LIVE!

Make your life awesome, and be healthy enough to enjoy it!

Velv... I mean, "LIFEeeta" Cheese!

Football playoffs are upon us, and I am excited to watch the Super Bowl in a couple of weeks. 

With the Bowl comes some of my favorite treats, like dips, pizza, (boneless)wings, and more!

Have you ever tried Rotel Cheese Dip?

I could eat that ALL DAY LONG and be perfectly happy, but considering that I don't want all the hard work I have been doing to go down the drain in one day of vegging out on goodies, (the Holiday's were bad enough, but we aren't even going to talk about that, OK? hehe) I have been playing with recipes looking for ways that I can fortify the recipes I already love to make them fit more easily into a healthy lifestyle!

Thus, "Lifeeta Cheese" was born!

I made this a few nights ago and it was great with broccoli and boiled 'new potatoes'

I wouldn't recommend eating this often. While it is way healthier than the original soft-yellow-loaf that you buy at the store, it is still pretty high in calories. 

Recipe:

2 cups milk (I used whole because that's what we drink)

2 tbs cornstarch

Dash of salt

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (can add more to taste, we thought this was fine).

Directions:

Add milk to cold saucepan. Add cornstarch, and whisk. While whisking, turn up heat to med-high, closer to high, but watch closely. You do not want the milk to boil, and you don't want the starch sticking to the bottom of the pan. 

As milk heats, continue stirring. It should start bubbling. At this point, you can add the salt and half of the cheese, keeping it on the heat. It should start thickening quite rapidly. As it does this, add remaining cheese and continue stirring until melted. 

Viola! Isn't that easier than walking clear to the back of the store to find this stuff? hehe... I always seem to have to search for it, but now I have it in all the ingredients in my pantry, and I can eat it with less guilt!

This makes about 3/4 of the amount you would get with a store-bought loaf. We haven't tried to store it, but if you aren't going to use it right away, it should be fine to put plastic wrap or tin foil in a bread pan, poor the mixture in and refrigerate until hardened. It should keep for about two weeks like this.

Happy Super Bowling! May the best team win!

www.facebook.com/teamfindyourbestlife

www.beachbodycoach.com/cheltzey

PD

When I was in high school, I was a member of an organization called FFA.

I went to National FFA Convention twice, as well as many state and local activities, but each time I went, I felt a rush of excitement as I was made aware of the potential that I had. I didn't recognize this back then, but that rush came from listening to key note speakers who were teaching me how PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT ~PD~ could affect a person!

Since joining Beachbody, I have been trying to do at least one hour of PD a day. Why? Let me illustrate with a picture...

Life is great at presenting opportunities for us to learn. It has it's ups, and it has its downs. I assume most of us can look back and say that we have become better people than the people we used to be, and that's great, but imagine if you could speed up that process by learning from others' successes and failures.

Well, have I got great news for you! (You probably already know what I'm about to tell you, right?)
YOU CAN!!!

This is what Wikipedia says about PD: Personal development includes activities that improve awareness and identity, develop talents and potential, build human capital and facilitate employ-ability, enhance quality of life and contribute to the realization of dreams and aspirations

Doesn't that sound great? Don't you want to 'contribute to the realization of YOUR dreams and aspirations?!?!!!' 

Here's your takeaway for today: When trying to live a healthy lifestyle, it is important to include at least 15 minutes of personal development into your daily activities. 

Here's my story about PD:

I DO NOT enjoy washing dishes or folding socks. I am perfectly fine with any other household chores, but please, DO NOT ask me to do those two tasks. Whelp, I am a housewife. With a husband who works full time, it is important for me to tackle those chores. I used to avoid these as long as I could. When they finally needed to be done, I would put on some music and drag myself to the task, giving my time begrudgingly. Just recently, I began listening to Personal Development books, and General Conference talks during these chores, and my attitude has completely changed. Now I don't have enough to do to last me as long as I'd like to listen to my recordings! To top things off, I am becoming more confidant and growing because of it! I am happy in the work that I do, and our home is a much more pleasant place to reside! 

You don't even know how great of an investment that small change is to me in the scheme of things!

Now, I'm off to clean the bathroom!

Mars: A One Way Mission!

Mars.

It's known as "The Red Planet"

Since man's journey to Earth's Moon, Mars has been the target for space enthusiasts both young and old.

We have sent rovers to give us a closer view of the barren landscape, and know that it can take anywhere from 150-300 days to travel the distance between Mars and Earth. (1.)

So, what does Mars have to do with with your health?

Yesterday, I read an intriguing article about a new mission being dubbed "Mars One." If you are interested, you can read more about the mission here. The mission will send an unmanned craft to the Red Planet sometime around 2018, with plans of sending manned crews to follow starting in 2024. Here's the catch, Mars One is titled so, because these missions will be one way. The plan is to first send four people to live in a self-sustaining space station, and then send missions of four astronauts every two years. 

It was surprising to me to think that anyone could love something so much, and have dreams so big, that they would be willing to give up everything else just for a shot at their dreams. At first, I was very skeptical, thinking these people need to sort out their priorities. Who is willing to make such a sacrifice? Leave Earth never to return? Then, like most things I read, I applied it to my life. What would be so important to me that I would choose pursuing it over living a comfortable life with those thing I would otherwise have to sacrifice? What dream is so important to me that I am willing to give up on things of 'lesser importance' (at least to me) in order to see that dream fulfilled.

Well, luckily for me, it is not, nor has it ever been, my dream to take a mission to Mars. I do have other dreams, though, and there are things that I have found are worth sacrificing so that I might see those dreams fulfilled. 

So, if you're still with me, let's relate this to our health...

Here is my take away from this article: There ARE some things in life that ARE worth sacrificing for BETTER things to replace them!

Think of it as an investment. What does being healthy give you?

Well, for me, I have peace of mind, confidence, zest for life, endurance, happiness, I FEEL GREAT, and SO much more!!! Have I had to sacrifice things to get that which was important to me? YES! Was it worth it? YES, YES, YES!!! What have I sacrificed? TV? Somewhat, I have stopped watching reality television and instead, I spend my free time watching uplifting/inspirational/personal developmental programs. Is that really a loss? Not to me. I can not tell you how much I have grown and learned since making the choice to cut those out! Have I sacrificed good tasting food? Heck NO! In-fact, I think the food that we eat now has SO much more FLAVOR than anything we ate before, AND I don't feel sick after eat now! DEFINITELY a GREAT investment. Have I had to sacrifice some of my favorite social settings (like my favorite restaurant)? Yes, BUT I can not tell you how much money we are saving  since we have stopped eating out. We can still go out for special occasions, and it seems so much MORE special now! There are other things I have left out of my life, but rather than thinking of them as a sacrifice, I think of them as a good trade, or investment in my life! 

So, here is what I hope you take away from this:

There are people who have come before you, and who will come after you, who have/are going to MAKE SOMETHING out of their lives. They have had dreams, and have made big sacrifices in hopes of reaching those dreams. Those sacrifices have brought great strides to them in reaching their goals. I'm assuming you are here because you are hoping to make positive changes concerning your health, but even if you have other dreams, the only way you will reach them is by making some trades or investments. When you figure that out, make sure that you dream big enough to make that a one way mission. Don't put one toe in, 'go big, or go home,' because a two way mission won't get you anywhere!

As far as what you're willing to trade? Well, I'll let you decide.

It's a Secret

Today, I want to talk about something that we refer to as

 "The Secret".

You may have heard of Rhonda Byrne's book, with this title, and THAT is exactly what I am referring to!

If you haven't read the book, or watched the documentary, "The Secret" is basically the idea that what you are surrounded by in life is what you have attracted to your own being.

I would also like to share this quote:

You are now wondering, "Where in the heck is she headed with all this?"

Am I right?

Well, I have recently learned that when applied to life, these statements WORK!

Now what does all this have to do with being healthy?

Well, what I have found is that when you are not happy where you are now, you won't be happy where you are later, no matter what might come your way.

What does that mean?

For me, it meant that I had to learn to be grateful for what I had before I would ever be grateful for what I now have! I used to mutilate myself, both physically and mentally. I was my own bully, constantly talking myself down and telling myself that I was not valuable. Because this was my mindset, I did not choose to treat my physical self like the treasure that it is. I fueled my body with junk. I didn't drink adequate water. I rarely gave myself the opportunity to partake in therapeutic exercise. I was so consumed in my own self hatred, that I could not be truly happy for those I associated with, and so I would seer in envy thinking that 'they' were happier than I would ever be. This in turn would cause me to feel even more down then I was before. So, how did it change?

Well, it was a slow process, but it started with a statement my mother said to me one day. She said, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." 

It took years for that to really set into me, but I feel that I fully understand that concept now. I used to be overcome with anxiety when I felt that I couldn't control events or people in my life. With that idea in my mind, however, I began to change myself in order to better fit the circumstances that were once causing my anxiety, and something amazing began to happen!

First, I began to feel GENUINELY HAPPY for the good events that were taking place around me. Then, slowly, I began to realize that being happy for others helped me to be grateful for what I had, and in turn, I felt that I had more than I had ever had before. More energy, more drive, more meaning in life, and it CHANGED me! I began focusing on what was going well in my life, and noticing less and less what was going wrong. It seems like each day, there is more and more wellness, and less and less of the opposite, and with that happening, I am now ready to take what I have and give it to others, and that, in turn, is giving me more than anything I have ever experienced before!

If you are struggling in life, I challenge you to write down ten things you are grateful for every day for the next thirty days. See what changes begin taking shape in your life! If you take this challenge, come back and tell me about it! I'd love to hear your results!

(Thanks to Hilary Weeks' Facebook Page for the photo I posted above. Also, thanks to Rhonda Byrne for opening my eyes. If you are interested, her book is great!)

www.facebook.com/teamfindyourbestlife

www.beachbodycoach.com/cheltzey

New Year, New Start!

I live in the center of the Rocky Mountain range, and when we drive, it seems like you are just 'waiting to get over that one mountain' but as soon as you crest over the top of it, you see how many more mountains you have to cross or travel around before you will make it to your destination! Life is very similar to this metaphor. When you think you have made it, you realize you actually have quite a ways left to go! This rings especially true with health and fitness, so even though I reached the goal that I had set in August, I am excited to continue my journey, and will be starting Les Mills Body Combat on Monday, January 13th, 2014.

I will be tracking my progress daily, and sharing tips and tricks, and more to help motivate YOU in your personal journey!

So to begin, I am posting my before photos today. These were taken this morning, January 10, 2014. I will also be sharing my current weight and measurements in my post tomorrow!

Wish me luck! If you'd like to join me in a 60 day weight-loss challenge, I have one starting on January 20th! Comment below, or visit www.facebook.com/teamfindyourbestlife for more information!

My Story: When Life Gives You Lemons

Welcome to my journey!

If you haven't figured it out yet, I LOVE life!

I was dealt some pretty tough hands early in my life, and as a young adult, I began to let those trials define me. The result was a life not lived, and a very rough bout of depression. 

This is my story:

My name is Cheltzey Newman.

I was born in a small town in South East Idaho, to great parents. 

My childhood was easy, simple, and blessed.

Both of my parents were entrepreneurs, so I guess you could say the 'go-getter' attitude was instilled in me from the get-go. I grew up surrounded by a rural agriculture based community, which I loved, and I relished in the joys that came with the small-town lifestyle. Hard-work, family, and taking advantage of God's beautiful creations. Yes, my life was peaches and cream, and as a child, I never thought it could be different.

Early in my teenage years, I was faced with a trial like none I had faced before. My perfect life came crashing down around me when I was told, after 14 years of what seemed like a happy marriage, that my parents had decided life would be better lived if they split and went their separate ways. I was devastated, and it started to show, not only through my rapidly dropping school-grades and loss of interest in friends, but in my outward appearance as well.

I had always been healthy. Never the bean-pole frame that many children carry, and around twelves years old, I was carrying a few extra pounds, but they were quickly hidden by a sudden growth spurt that I had in 6th grade, and I filled into myself quite nicely. It was during high school that I began to gain weight again, and I went from a size 6 pant size to a size 12 by the end of my senior year.

I have now been out of high school for four and a half years, and was at my heaviest about 6 months ago. In July of 2013, I weighed about 170 pounds. Not only that, but I was suffering from health problems as well, and I seemed to be sick all the time. When I wasn't actually physically sick, it took all I could to get out of bed in the morning because I was suffering from depression on top of everything else that was going on. This doesn't mean i didn't have happy times through it all, but it was effecting me enough that I was struggling with my job and my college classes. I began to use my depression as an excuse to keep me away from progression, and became even more miserable. It wasn't until early in 2013, though that I decided enough was enough and something needed to be done, so I began researching everything I could about the issues I was having.

I learned about nutrition, and toxins in the body. I learned about spirituality and the miracle of forgiveness, and I learned that when those aspects of life are not in balance, life can be pretty sour, but we have been told that when life gives us lemons, we should make lemon-aide! I decided that my future was in my hands, and in the spring of 2013, I began to take initiative and create my own happiness and prosperity!

By summer time, we were eating healthier, and I was beginning to feel better, but still experiencing debilitating health problems. I had been having kidney stones since I was 14 years old, and they were becoming more and more common, to the point that i was passing one every three-or-so months! Those caused urinary tract infections, and I was really trying to get control of that by making sure that I was hydrated and staying away from foods that are considered to cause the stones. I also began having gall-bladder attacks in 2011. I knew that my body was retaliating because I had not been taking care of it and it was not going to be instantly better, not matter how many steps I took to improve myself! These problems didn't appear overnight, and I quickly learned that it would be months before I felt great again.

Speeding Up the Healing Process

Throughout the month of July of 2013, I had greatly improved my diet, and had begun doing some moderate exercise and I was seeing results when a friend approached me about joining a Beachbody fitness challenge that she was hosting in August. I was skeptical, because I had joined weight-loss competitions before and had rarely seen results, but she told me about her experience with Crohn's and something that had helped her called Shakeology. I decided it probably wouldn't hurt to try, and my husband had recently ordered a Beachbody workout program called INSANITY, but he had never gotten more than a few workouts into it. I thought this would be a great time for me to put those workouts into use, so I got started! I COULD NOT BELIEVE THE RESULTS!

I started replacing one meal a day with ShakeO; usually breakfast or lunch, sometimes both! Two days after starting to drink Shakeology, I noticed that I was sleeping more soundly than I had in years, and I was waking up refreshed and excited for my day. I began watching the pounds disappear and I was feeling great, both physically, and mentally! In two months, I had lost 15 pounds, and I was so excited about my progress, I decided when the challenge was over that I was going to become a Beachbody coach so that I could HELP others experience the success that I had!

It is now January of 2014. I am so happy, and I can't even begin to describe what great things have happened in my life over the last  four months! Do I still have bad days? You bet! That is part of life! The difference now, though, is I don't let them take control of me. I understand that those times when we feel a little down are meant to help us be evermore grateful for those precious times we have. It is important to make sure that each time you hit a low point, it is higher than you last low, and you will see progression that way! My life has transformed from selfishness to selflessness, and my whole being is devoted to serving others. I am so grateful for the opportunity that came to me to get back on the right track, and I am loving the lessons I am learning on a daily basis.

If YOU are ready to see positive change in YOUR life, I'd love to help you!

Contact me at 

www.facebook.com/teamfindyourbestlife

or

www.beachbodycoach.com/cheltzey

Here are some of my transformation photos:

This was my first 60 day challenge accountability photo!

Some of the changes I noticed along with the weight-loss were healthier hair, skin, and nails!

My husband is happy and proud of me, and we are working together on this journey!