COMMITMENT MATTERS

As Valentine’s Day is upon us tomorrow, I think about commitment and how it not only matters in my marriage but also in my fitness and overall health.  They both take dedication and work right?  Think about that: if you cheat on your marriage, it will not work…if you cheat on your health, it will not work…see what I mean.  In order to maintain a happy, healthy relationship, it takes commitment, effort and work on a daily and consistent basis.  

In this journey of life, I have learned what I do and do not want, and I certainly have found a gem in my husband and cherish our relationship as top priority.  I feel the same way about my fitness and realize that my life is a precious gift worthy of my time and attention to reduce the risk of illness and maintain a healthy quality of life.  Commitment is a word that I do not use lightly and is a promise that I will maintain my relationship in a healthy way with my hubby and with myself. 

Really, I do not need a special Hallmark day to tell me that, because every day is Valentine’s Day in my life with my honey and my health.  I treat both with tender loving care, appreciation, time and attention.  Commitment to the things that matter is important and believe me, there are plenty of “busy things” in life that just do not matter.  I like that motivational saying “when you are committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results”.  I believe in seeing positive results in my marriage and health and if I do not take the healthy action steps to make that happen, that is on me.  I have worked too hard and long in my life to not make the most of each day, and  appreciate what good health and true love feels like.   

I will be fifty soon, and it has taken half my lifetime to reach the maturity of emotional, spiritual and physical well-being that I understand today.  The bumpy road along the way was difficult, but through patience, perseverance, and commitment to want more for me in every aspect of life, the journey was meant to be and is always a “to be continued” story.  The importance of commitment is also patience through the process as nothing happens overnight.  There is no such thing as here today and gone tomorrow and rushing life to get no-where is certainly not on any page that I am writing.

I dedicate this Blog to the love of my life, my best friend, prayer partner, and greatest support I have ever known.  To my husband:  I love you “Forever and a Day” and every day is Valentine’s Day with you. 

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding!

StayHealthy!

Darla

It has to be GOOD ENOUGH

I AM GOOD ENOUGH!

In this world of extreme perfection and nothing being good enough, I say it has to be good enough…I will go farther than that and say IT IS GOOD ENOUGH…I mean really…YUCK…otherwise I would be such a miserable person always searching for something to fill some void I think I am missing.  You know what…I AM good enough.  I can recall a time in my life where I did struggle with the whole “not good enough” thing, always trying to please someone and giving so much consideration into what others thought of me…OMG…what a horrible way to be and so anxiety producing…just thinking back about it…I now laugh and am so thankful for being older, wiser, and so much better.  I guess it had to be a part of my journey of learning and maturing into the healthy woman I am today. 

Perfection and pleasing are tossed to the side, and just being the BEST version of ME each day is my goal.  I am not saying that I do not enjoy pleasing people with my cooking or something fabulous like that…I am talking about the warped thinking of “why did they not approve of this or that about me, or not like how I did something”…there is truly a difference.  Why did I even care???  WOW…talk about unhealthy thinking of the past.  What the heck does this have to do with maintaining my now 48 year young physique…I SAY EVERYTHING. 

It is my state of positive thinking and ACCEPTANCE of Darla, with all my imperfections and physical limitations that motivate me each day.  It is that “feel good” feeling that completely coats my spirit and provides an “AH HA” moment each day for me…I mean it can make me feel like a kid, not take things so serious, and free me to be ME…IT IS ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!!!  It is that whole not sweating the small stuff in life anymore and letting go of things I can’t control… YAHOOO …. YES…this is healthy, I feel healthy, I love how I take care of ME and I accept that about ME,  and it feels better than good.   I will go farther than good and say that it feels pretty darn GREAT! 

Starting the Weekend with this In Your Face Motivation!

Personal Goal:  OK everyone…I want to blog more and I am praying for more time to do this.  My goal is to MOTIVATE through my writing at least one time per week.  I have been utilizing my Stay Healthy Facebook because of its’ quick and easy download of this or that in seconds and I still plan to maintain that as long as FB does not continue to try and regulate business pages.  My passion and “want” is to channel the same feel of what I like to call “In Your Face” MOTIVATION posters here, along with helpful links, recipes, and exercise ideas.  I like that the Blog is individual and very personal…this is more down to earth and ME to MOTIVATE you.  So, even if I write a brief paragraph about my thoughts for the day or week, I am on board for that…how about you?

Check out my Stay Healthy Feature on pg 36 of  the June issue of Natural Muscle Magazine!

Stay Healthy Quinoa Chicken with Fresh Basil

Looking for an In Your Face MOTIVATION to move IDEA…I LOVE HIIT Workouts!

(My modifications...negative pullups for the pushups to protect my neck)

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  Let me know if you LIKE this entry, I look forward to reading your comments, and I am always in the mood for a Protein Shake;)

Have a Fabulous Weekend!

Stay Healthy!

Darla   

 

What’s All This about Surviving the Holidays

Now This is ME during the Holidays

I mean really…surviving the holidays??? What the heck is this all about…I can see wanting to survive an illness or some other grave situation…but the holidays…really…NOT.  I look forward to the holidays…spending quality time with family and friends…all the decorations, lights, music, the tree, the smells …WOW…this is all GOOD stuff in my book.  It is also my time to create fabulous foods for the Christmas morning breakfast…life does not get better than this.  I am seeing so many articles, tips, commercials, etc…on how to survive the holidays and a big YUCK.  If you have been following my Blog, you know that I am always candid and share my life and thoughts…well what a peeve.  Really a Darla soap box moment here…I do not use any holiday as an excuse to set aside my healthy lifestyle to gorge on unhealthy crap…I mean really…WHY?  Do I sample things, and enjoy treats throughout the season…a BIG YES…but I certainly do not make a 3-month adventure out of it…meaning Thanksgiving to the New Year…Hell to the BIG NO.  My healthy lifestyle is what maintains me and the word “lifestyle” says it all…holiday or not.  If I did not live this way, I certainly do not feel I could walk the shoes of teaching fitness to so many fabulous people…practice what I preach all the way or nothing.   

Christmas Morning Breakfast Table

Am I a scrooge…NO…as I shared, I do sample this and that…but sitting and eating let’s say a whole plate of mash potatoes and gravy…do not think so.  I am really not fond of that anyway, but sampling fabulous home baked Christmas cookies…well…now that deserves a nibble or two;)  Everything in moderation and I do not plan cheat days or even cheat meals.  If the desire strikes me to sample a cookie…well, I sample a cookie…simple as that…tasted, swallowed, DONE…moving on.   Why has it come this far to say that a holiday needs to be survived…what marketing hype…YES…it really is.  Has everyone gone completely off their rocker to not realize the meaning of the Christmas holiday and what really matters in this life?  I am talking about the shopping hoopla as well…I am definitely NOT a black Friday girl or any kind of shop-till-I drop woman…that sounds so overwhelmingly NOT FUN and not the way I want to spend the day…now give me a meet for tea with hubby or girlfriend and having my list in hand to purchase something at a nearby store...now that is fabulous.  I actually prefer the comfort of online shopping in my jammies with no shipping charges or tax…a WIN WIN…plugging Amazon here. My son turned me onto this site and I must say… I am impressed with the savings on the items, not to mention the wear and tear on my vehicle…and the gas prices…NO WAY.  I mean really…the Christmas season is truly not about how much money I can make, spend, most expensive toys,  or how much food I can eat…really???   

THIS IS WHAT LIFE IS ABOUT

The holiday is such a special time for me to spend with my family and friends, to make wonderful memories, look forward to laughter, board games, and cozy fires…this is what I enjoy about my life around the holidays.  Is this something for me to survive….NO…I am a simple girl who is deep into the meaning of being healthy all the way around….so I will not gorge for days on end until I feel sick, depressed and guilt ridden, or spend dollars until I am stressed and worried about how I will pay the bills…IS THIS HEALTHY…NO…so…I guess what I am trying to say in a healthy way is Happy Holidays…join me in taking the time to reflect on all the fabulous things to be thankful for…enjoy that quality time, take some time off from work, sample some goodies in moderation, do not neglect your health, your family, or overburden your  finances…I believe that life is a precious gift and I plan to soak up every meaningful moment I can during the holiday….NO REWINDS IN THIS LIFE AND NO REGRETS! Stay Healthy!

  

Merry Christmas from My House to Yours

Bake My Stay Healthy Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies over the Holiday!!!

Stay Healthy Flourless Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies

When it comes to chocolate…one of my favorites hands down is a fresh baked scratch brownie…nothing in a box for me.  I believe in quality and the taste has to be out of this world FABULOUS.  I spent the holiday season baking and pureeing pumpkins and set out to create recipes that would satisfy all of the above.  I was so pleased with how these turned out…one of the BEST brownies I have ever eaten…no kidding.  The pumpkin adds the perfect dense moistness necessary and the rich chocolate flavor is incredible.  I utilized Blue Agave Syrup as studies show this natural sweetener to be low on the Glycemic Index.  Also, I was happy to reduce the carbohydrates by omitting any flour, increasing the protein with the egg whites, and adding a few dark chocolate chips for antioxidant…this is a WIN WIN recipe to satisfy my chocolate craving.  I guarantee this will be a keeper in your kitchen!

Ingredients

1 cup fresh or canned pumpkin

½ cup almond butter
4 egg whites
1 cup organic Blue Agave Sweetener (Syrup)
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup extra dark chocolate chips (at least 65%)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Step 1 – Into a large mixing bowl, add each ingredient one at a time.  Whisk each ingredient until completely mixed before adding the next.  Continue this process until you have batter ready to pour and bake.  It will be a light and airy batter similar to a cake mix…this will not be thick. 

Step 2 – Pour into prepared oiled square baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. I start checking the brownie at 30 min.  Insert knife into center and when it comes out clean…the brownies are done. 

Step 3 – Let the Brownies rest for 15 minutes before slicing. These will be very moist and light.

Step 4 – Enjoy with some vanilla N/F Yogurt!!!

This recipe along with many others under the “In My Kitchen Tab, Stay Healthy Recipes” at the top of the page!
 Original recipe created by Darla Leal, Stay Healthy Fitness 2011

My Holiday Workout Challenge:

I Have Been Trying This Out: I add in order one exercise for 100 reps per day to complete the challenge within 10 days…so far so good.  

IF YOU ENJOYED MY BLOG, LIKE IT, LEAVE A COMMENT, AND IF INSPIRED TO SUPPORT STAY HEALTHY FITNESS WITH A SHAKE DONATION….THANK YOU SO MUCH!

STAY HEALTHY!