"No Bunny Business"

I am a Woman of Faith

OK…another holiday that the stores are cramming with crap...YIKES and YUCK.  Am I a scrooge (oops…wrong holiday)...stick in the mud about Easter????  Well, of course not, far from that…and YES…when my kids were small and even adults…I would make baskets filled with goodies, hide Easter eggs, and had great fun dying eggs…and better yet…eating egg salad sandwiches…BOMB protein.

Easter just is not about the “Bunny Business” for me or shoving tons of candy in my face…A Big NO WAY…in fact, and get ready for a soap box moment here…there is too much capitalization on every single holiday telling the consumer to eat more junk, spend on junk, and the worst part…the meaning of the holiday is missed altogether…there…said it and further…how is this healthy…I think NOT…OK, now I am moving on.  YES, Easter has such a deep meaning as I celebrate my faith and well, sorry chocolate rabbit, although cute and full of calories, it takes the back seat. YES…I enjoy my spiritual life and have faith in the meaning of what it means to be a Christian.  Drum roll…YES…Darla is a Christian, believes in God, reads scripture, prays a lot, and believe me….there have been many times in my life where I know that my strength alone was not enough to get me through…I am talking about the belief in something greater than myself.  There was a time in my life when I was at that… OMG…can’t let anyone know that I am a Christian…what would they think, would they still like me, think I am weird, accept me? I am so happy to be beyond living my life according to what I thought others expected of me, accepted of me, never good enough, pleaser, pleaser, pleaser for everyone but myself…WOW…what was I thinking, and why did I care…it was all a part of my journey of learning…yes, I was once there. 

How refreshing to be living Darla’s life now, and I say something as fabulous as faith is meant to be shared, not hidden.  “Older, Wiser, Better” is what I say now, and this quote can definitely be applied to many areas of my life’s journey… that’s for sure. I know that we all want to believe in things we can see, feel, pull up a chair and have a conversation…but you know what…too easy…that is why it is called faith.  Does this put you off the person who is Darla…well, I will take that chance…this is who I am…the person that is here to MOTIVATE you with my life.  I do not walk in fear or shame of who I am, my beliefs, or my passions, otherwise I would be a hypocrite and that is NOT me.  What you see is what you get…that has always been my way and how I share with you…REAL…like me or not…now that is healthy!

Free Therapy...My Cardio

I look at it this way, life is about challenges that push and pull me in different directions and it is how I respond to those challenges that makes me a healthy girl and with God by my side, I feel strong, confident, and able to walk through any circumstance that comes my way.  Sometimes even a workout may seem tough and let me just share that my cardio is the perfect time to chat with God…pray and sweat and believe me I can cover quite a bit in this hour long conversation. Talk about a therapy session that is free and burns calories…a WIN WIN in my Stay Healthy book.  OK…are you thinking…OH MY…she is a “Jesus freak” off her rocker, Bible thumper, door to door sales evangelist, or how about… the new fitness evangelist…YIKES…are you kidding me??? I do not have to be any of those things because I live my life as an example of loving God, and if how I conduct myself says something to my family, friends, clients, online followers, etc…then that is inspiring and MOTIVATING.

Easter just seemed the perfect time to share this with you, and believe me, I try to live to honor God everyday in what I say, think, and do…I am human, make mistakes, fall, and I am humble enough to apologize when I am wrong.  Definitely far from perfect…as you know, I do not believe in that.  The difference is that I am my BEST as a faith driven woman.  Faith is what keeps me loving myself through how I treat my body, and deeper, how I am with my family, clients, and the extreme passion that I have to MOTIVATE people online to please live healthy lives…make it quality…One Body, One Life…MAKE THEM BOTH AMAZING is another one of my philosophies.  I hope everyone has a fabulous Easter day…will I have a chocolate rabbit…well maybe…and if I do, tradition says….bite the ears off first…at least that is what my daughter says.  I know I will be making my Stay Healthy Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls, recipe link below, and enjoying a healthier version for Easter brunch. Wrapping this up…what is important on this day and every day, is being the BEST version of me, otherwise…what the heck am I doing?  Stay Healthy!

Motivation of the Day: One Body, One Life…Make them both AMAZING

Newly Added to the In My Kitchen Stay Healthy Recipes: Stay Healthy Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls, Perfect for Easter brunch!

My Workout of the Day:

30min Arc Trainer

Pyramid Workout…LOVE THESE!

My Nutrition of the Day:

Stay Healthy Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake - Meal 1

1. 1 cup coffee, Stay Healthy Chocolate Sweet Potato Cake

2. Juice/Protein Shake Combo

3. Juice/Protein Shake Combo

4. ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds/walnuts/cranberries

5. Stay Healthy Quinoa Chicken w/Sundried Tomatoes & Fresh Basil

6. 1 Scoop chocolate whey protein mixed with almond milk before bed

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

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STAY HEALTHY!

It Has to Be QUALITY

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Quality Food is a MUST

QUALITY life…WOW…doesn’t that sound absolutely FABULOUS...well of course and I really believe in that all the way around.  I am into quality relationships, quality healthy foods, quality splurge meals when I have them, quality time, a quality simple life, and YES…QUALITY moves during my workouts.  If it is not quality…forget it…I mean really.  I am not going to waste my time performing an exercise that will get me nowhere and in fact, would probably injure me in the process…A BIG NO THANKS. I am into QUALITY over quantity…maintaining my physique is not a competition of how much I can lift or rep…it is about creating and being the BEST ME with my quality exercise and with the new modified body that I have.   Society today is so caught up in fast this and fast that, competing with him or her….YUCK…I would love the whole world to get a good wallop on the head, slow down, and enjoy just BEING, enjoy the gift of moving their bodies for the health of that body and who the hell cares what he, she, or all the other somebody else’s are doing…being healthy is not a competition…it is a lifestyle…and a glorious one at that.  Quality has so much to do with that…if I did not live a quality life how could I be a quality person taking care of myself…I would be one of those rush in and out of the gym and maybe get it right…WRONG…NOT for this fitness girl.  What kind of example would I be setting for anyone, and especially those that I train/coach…YIKES?  It has to be QUALITY…it has to be GOOD FORM, TECHNIQUE…and everything that creates a MORE than great workout experience.  When it comes to my QUALITY workout, I concentrate on proper posture, always drawing my navel into my spine…this makes me wear my STRING (if you have followed my Blogs, you know that my String is my pretend connection from my sternum to the ceiling and ensures that I am standing in proper posture). 

Posture is key to Quality Exercise

I put my mind where the muscle is, think about that muscle moving through its range of motion (ROM), and the joint actions that are involved in the move…if I am performing a biceps curl for example…I will not be moving my shoulder joint, and definitely not swinging at the hips to get the weight up…OH MY…HURT MYSELF gosh.  Having a private studio is great because I definitely cringe going into public facilities where injuries are going to happen due to non-quality moves…this is a whole other story though…so back to my QUALITY workouts.  The point I am trying to bring home here, is that life is too short not to do things right….to be a quality person, eat quality foods, enjoy quality time with friends and family, and definitely perform QUALITY workouts…all these things done in a quality way…are truly a big part of happiness, success in health and a balanced life…and the QUALITY workouts…well…this 47 year young body says a BIG THANK YOU! Stay Healthy!

MOTIVATION OF THE DAY:  Quality Exercise Produces Quality Results

My Nutrition of the Day:

Meal 4

Coffee, one cup ~ splash of n/f creamer

1-Stay Healthy Harvest Protein Muffin

2-Post Workout Shake & ¼ pumpkin seeds

3-Four Egg whites on Thin Bun & Apple

4-Small sweet potato and ¼ cup N/F Plain Greek yogurt

5-Scratch Chicken Vegetable Soup

6-1 Tbsp peanut butter on Rice Cake

My Workout of the Day:

ARC Trainer for 20 minutes

HIIT Program (repeated 2 xs)

Move 1: Squat, Curl & Press
Targets: Quads, delts, glutes, biceps, & triceps.

Move 2: Walking lunge & Oblique twist with dumbbell/medicine ball
Targets: Quads, core/obliques

Move 3: Overhead Triceps Extensions
Targets: Triceps

Move 4: Low Rows
Targets: Back

Move 5: Medicine Ball/Dumbbell Pullover
Targets: Back, chest, shoulders, and abs

Move 6:  Pop Squats
Targets: glutes, thighs, and burns fat all over!!

 

Move 7: Calf Raise
Targets: Calves

Move 8: Seated Medicine Ball Twist
Targets: abs/obliques

Stay Healthy Harvest Protein Muffin..FABULOUS

Check out my Stay Healthy Harvest Protein Muffin Recipe perfect for the holidays or anytime…Newly Added to the In My Kitchen Page!!!

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Stay Healthy!

Setbacks SUCK

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Setbacks Suck...but Hey...I make the BEST of IT

Well, I have to say that I do not like setbacks…and in fact they do SUCK.  Going through the pain of a setback from my injury is the hardest part…but also having to cut way down to doing nothing with my fitness program…big YUCK.  I am such an active person and giving in to what my body is telling me is definitely a mind vs. body fight, and I have to say that I do practice what I preach…and listen.  I would not push my clients through a setback in ways that would further aggravate an injury and I need to apply that to myself…is it hard…YES.  Always honest here…I am one of those can’t hold her down personality types usually, but the wiser Darla says…hold yourself down GIRL!!!  I have been through so much and I can tell you…IT IS NOT WORTH IT…meaning pushing myself through pain only to land flat on my ass for days…hell to the BIG NO THANKS. I also have a supportive hubby who keeps me accountable to that.  In fact, he makes me promise that I will not workout for however long it takes to get back on track and feeling close to 100%...MAN THAT IS A TOUGH ONE FOR ME…I have to admit, I hesitate to answer…lol…but you know what, I have gone most of my life without an accountability coach…so although hard…I appreciate it.  The athlete in me truly wants to do at least something…cardio at the minimum…but if I feel discomfort even in that movement…well…I need to STOP doing that.  I confess that it is so hard to shut this part of me down…meaning the athlete, but what I do enjoy during my recovery time is working with my clients and being a part of their efforts as I push them through their fitness programs.   In a way, this satisfies my urge to workout because I am still in the environment, actively involved by pushing them, and celebrating the accomplishment of the finish.   

Getting back to my inner turmoil when it comes to setbacks…I am a person just like you…and I do feel frustration, blah, yuck, maybe even a bit of anger about it…I say to myself…really Darla…still feeling like this today…ugh…another day of ice packs, TENS unit, ice packs, ice packs, ice packs…well you get the picture.  Not a fun time and in fact it gets in the way of my quality life functions…spending time with friends, family, hubby, etc…It is really a hard thing to enjoy something when my pain level is saying a BIG HELLO all the time.  These are times I have to take a deep breath and accept that it is what it is for the moment and still the BEST me in the circumstance.  What the heck Darla…really…how can you be the BEST you when you feel like shit (can I say that??) Oh well…I did…that is me.  The fact is…I CAN and I DO…is it anyone’s fault that I am having a flare up…NO…well, maybe mine if I tried a new exercise that caused the problem…so…the motto that I hold true to…Life is 10% What Happens to You and 90% How You Respond to It…is always whispering in my ear.   

LOVE THIS

My response is…I do not like this, but I am not going to be a crabby “B” to hubby, friends or family…I mean really…what would that do for me or anyone else.  I take this moment to reflect on things like…not repeating the movement that may have caused the flare up or how I can modify the move even more to protect myself…it seems like I will always be a test as I go Gal…meaning it works for the New Modified Me or it Doesn’t…and then stick to the routines that DO work.  Setbacks do suck, but they also teach me what my body can or can’t do, and although I sometimes feel sad about the things I can’t do and think to myself…really…this is going to kick my ass like that, I appreciate even more those things I can do that don’t set me back at all…and that my friends…is FABULOUS!!! Stay Healthy!

MOTIVATION FOR THE DAY:  Always Strive to Be the BEST Version of YOU

Workout of the Day:

ARC Trainer cardio segment 45 minutes (I have been on this routine for 2 days now)

Nutrition of the Day:

Crock Pot Chicken Ready for Meal 5

Coffee, one cup…fabulous

1-Pre-workout shake

2-Post-workout shake, ¼ cup pumpkin seeds

3-Peppered turkey breast with Avocado on a Thin Bun, Grapes

4-High Fiber Wrap with Almond Butter and Dried Cranberries

5-Crock Pot Chicken and Baked Butternut Squash

6-Two Protein Balls

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Stay Healthy!

I Keep It Simple and Slow

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Life is really too short not to…I do not entertain drama, negativity, or anything that screams…NOT HEALTHY.  I enjoy the little things in life because they are truly the BIG things.  I have learned that rushing through a day at the speed of light is not a good thing and literally landed me flat on my backside in 2008…and besides…you miss out on a lot of life. For quite some time now, I have made sure to slow things down, enjoy the moment and build fabulous memories. I have this saying…nothing good happens fast…LOL.  I use this all the time when I am training clients…and I also put myself through slow methodical workouts where I concentrate on the muscle being worked, feel the muscle move through its motion, and really get the most out of the work.  Nothing good happens fast when an exercise is done so fast that the movement is out of form, without thinking, compromising the body, and before you know it…injury…and YUCK…what the heck is that all about.  Not for this girl and maintaining my 47 year young self…OK…yes I am talking about life and I am talking about my workouts…well, it goes hand in hand now doesn’t it?  Getting back to simplicity…I have learned to be content in all circumstances…in my book, life is not about having a million dollars, or the nicest car or house, but happiness with myself and getting up every morning looking forward to what I will do with my day. 

During Our Honeymoon Last Year

I enjoy the simple pleasure of a cup of coffee in the morning with hubby, good conversation, time with family and friends…and I am talking quality time…giving my full attention to someone when they are sharing a story.  I can remember when my kids were small and the rush rush get things done was on overdrive for this actively involved parent…they are sharing something exciting that happened on the playground for example, and I would be washing the dishes with one ear on them, the other in the sink…I would definitely change that…put down the dish and sit down to look intently in their eyes and allow myself to feel their excitement.  You see, these are the important things that are learned in life…the lessons learned that I now apply and live by.  You better believe my children get my full attention when they are visiting…no cleaning, no dishes, but quality time. I use this same philosophy with my clients, and especially during an initial consultation.  I give all of me during a consultation, coaching, or training session…I am a deep person and need to feel what is being shared in that moment.  It is in that moment, I can see clearly to help.  OK…I am all over the board here…but I hope you understand what I am sharing…simplicity comes with slowing down, being a good listener, a good friend, wife, mother, daughter and taking in the moment. Slowing down also means taking care of my body using slow, methodical movements where my muscles get the most benefit for the time I give. 

Exploring a Ghost Town

I am a simple girl…I love the smell of the first rain on the pavement, hummingbirds flying around my orange tree in the morning, the sound of laughter around the dinner table, my cooking being enjoyed, and my list can go on and on.  I sit here as a 47 year young woman who has lived a lot of life, experienced quite the journey and realizing that simple and slow may not be a million dollars…but is sure feels like a million dollars.  So, next time you think about wanting things now, fast, rushed….think about so many things that would be missed along the way…because truly…nothing good ever happens fast. I will end with another favorite saying….Exercise is a journey NOT a destination….this applies to everything in my life. Stay Healthy!

I Slow Life Down and Enjoy the Moment

                                                                                                                                                                                       

Motivation of the Day: Nothing Good Ever Happens Fast

Me in my Studio

Workout of the Day

45 minute exercise of my choice workout

I started out on my ARC trainer and felt burnt after 10 minutes, so with my minute interval timer clipped on my sports bra, I began doing whatever exercise that popped into my mind for that minute…it became a game…and before I knew it, 45 minutes…DONE.  So, included in my fitness game were lunges, low rows, lunge backs, step ups, bicep curls, triceps kickbacks, squats, and pull downs just to name a few.  I also used my tubing.  YES…today was a tough motivation day and happy that I completed the game.

Meal 5

Nutrition of the day:

Coffee…so good this morning;)

1-Thin Bagel with 1 Tbsp peanut butter

2-Post work out shake

3-Spinach salad with grilled chicken

4-¼ cup Pumpkin Seeds and ½ cup Greek Yogurt

5-Egg white scramble with spinach & avocado

Personal Share:  Happy 87th Birthday to My Fabulous Father!!!

Love You Dad ~ Your Baby Girl

IF YOU ENJOYED MY BLOG, LIKE IT, LEAVE A COMMENT, AND IF INSPIRED, OFFER ME A PROTEIN SHAKE!

STAY HEALTHY!