The calm after the storm

Living in Oklahoma has always been fun. In the spring particulary, where there are daily tornado and severe weather warnings. Today was the start of that. 

So we cleaned out our storm shelter and prepared a bag with all of our important documents, extra clothes, diapers, wipes, shoes, food, water and blankets. 

Nothing came above Oklahoma City so we were safe from all severe weather this time but the city of Moore was struck again. That poor city seems to be a tornado magnet!  

After the dark clouds had cleared the most beautiful double rainbow appeared right out it back door. It was absolutely beautiful. Two, full double rainbows! 

I managed to snap a picture of it but it doesn't do it justice. 

This was definitely the calm after the storm. Such a beautiful sight after hearing and seeing the destructive behavior of the tornados that just happened 20 minutes before. 

Beachbody Training!

Rise and SHINE

☀️8 miles @ 10:16 pace☀️

I love my Saturday morning runs/ catch up sessions with my girl, Amanda. It was around mile 3.5 when I finally noticed how far we had gone. That is amazing! 

I am seriously in awe of how much my body has changed in the past 6 months. I could barely run a 5K at the Turkey Trot. I felt like I was DYING as I crossed the finish line. Now I feel great come mile 3 and even though I'm tired at the end, in this case mile 8, I still don't have crazy aches and pains nor do I have that "holy cow I'm going to collapse and die right here" feeling. 

What has happened in the last 6-8 months? Beachbody happened. I would be stupid to think that they didn't play a HUGE roll in my health and fitness. At home workouts trained and are continuing to train me for my running goals. Just 25 or 30 minutes a day is ALL I spent each day. I ran twice a week only until just this past week. 

It's incredible that Beachbody's home workouts are that effective in just 30 minutes per day but, hey, my company is awesome so it's no surprise. 

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Are you looking to train for a race? Do you want to be able to take long walks with your husband or kids? Do you want to feel better? 

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If you answered yes- then I have the perfect answer. Email me at jaclyncrowellfitness@gmail.com so we can chat 💙

Staying healthy while on vacation

Vacations. Is there anything better than going on vacation? It's a time to be able to relax and forget some of those stressors that life throws our way for even a little bit. It's nice to hop on a plane or jump in the car knowing you are getting to take a vacation in more ways than one. 

That is exactly how I felt when we boarded the plane to Florida. Happy to get out of Oklahoma and excited to visit with family and be able to go to the beach anytime I wanted.

Vacations are great but it's also a time where it's SO easy to get off track with your health and fitness. Will one or two cheat meals a week hurt? No definitely not. Will one WEEK of cheat meal hurt? Yes. 

Now I know what you are thinking... well if I'm on vacation Im definitely not going to watch what I eat or even take one step in a workout. But hear me out for a second. It's way easier to continue a healthy mindset throughout vacation than totally forget it and try to get back on track when you get back. 

Here are a few things that you can do to help keep a healthy lifestyle while still enjoying your vacation. 

#1- Look for healthier options while eating out. This doesn't mean they don't taste amazing. Last night I had a blackened Mahi Mahi with roasted asparagus and a sweet potato. IT WAS AMAZING and I felt great after eating it! You don't have to sacrifice taste for healthy. Just look for better options. Some key words to look for included: baked, roasted, steamed, and grilled.

#2- Take walks. You can head to the beach or to the local scenic area and walk around. Enjoy the view and learn about the place you are visiting. It won't feel like exercise but you will be working your muscles and heart nontheless!

#3 Always eat a healthy breakfast. For me, I am drinking Shakeology each and every morning. This gives me everything I need plus makes me full and my cravings curved. I also feel great all day which is more likely to keep me from on track.

#4 Keep healthy snacks in your purse or bag. Keeping your body nourished is the best way to avoid over eating. This will make it easier to stick to the correct portions and allow you to think clearly. 

#5 If you feel like exercising or doing a ️workout then DO IT! There is no harm is taking 30 minutes out of your day to work on yourself and stay on track. I am utilizing running and Beachbody On Demand this week so I can stay on track and not bring my DVDs. It's such a great tool to use on the go! 

Those are some of the things I am doing to help stick with my healthy lifestyle. Yes I have had a few cheats but nothing that would hinder my progress. You don't have to go ALL out in order to have a good time. I've had some amazing dinners out that are healthy and still really enjoyed it. No suffering here! 

Next time you are away try out some of these tips and I see how you feel. I can bet you will feel much better when you get home knowing you somewhat stayed on track!! 

Refresh and Reboot

A few weeks ago, as I was stuffing my face with some Valentine's Day treats, I felt out of control with my eating. I was letting my cravings take over and I definitely had many cravings since Id let my clean eating lifestyle slide a bit. While all those sweets tasted awesome, my stomach was in shambles. From eating too much dairy, processed foods and sugar I was experiencing regular stomach aches and pains that I didn't have before. I was bloated and my face was breaking out like crazy.

So I decided it was time to do something about it! I ordered the 3 Day Refresh and got some friends to join in with me for a 10 day challenge group! 

So yesterday, Sunday, I created my meal plan for the week. The first three days follows the 3 Day Refresh and the last part is sticking to a clean eating diet. In my challenge group we will be talking about tips and tricks for getting through the Refresh and later helping them keep the results they got from the Refresh by using Shakeology and clean eating! 

Here is my 7 day meal plan!!!

As well as making my meal plan I also chopped all my vegetables and made some green tea so it will be an easy 3 days. The nice thing about the Refresh is that you still get to eat regular food. It's not a lot but it definitely helps knowing that it isn't all juice and shakes. I still get my Shakeology for breakfast so that is awesome! 

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Today is Day One of the Refresh and I'm so excited to feel GOOD again with no cravings to fight!! 

 Stay tuned for my day one review later!!! So far it's going great :)

***Thinking about joining my next 10 Day Bikini Challenge?! Fill out this form for more information! 

https://jaclyncrowellfitness.wufoo.com/forms/challenge-group-

My motivation.

It was about 10 minutes in when all I wanted to do was quit. I have about a million other things I could be doing. My mind was so clouded that I was inches away from giving up and calling it quits. 

But something stopped me. My WHY stopped me. It gave me power when I thought I had none. My WHY is stronger than all my excuses and allows me to push though those doubts.

My advice- Find your WHY and remind yourself daily of it.  Pull from it when you are ready to give up and make it stronger than your excuses. 

Progress not Perfection.

I always tell my challengers you will have bumps in the road, you won't be perfect. What matters is that you are progressing. What matters is that you are trying your best, working hard, staying dedicated and embracing the journey. 

This is MY progression. I have worked hard and stayed focused on my goal because that is what I truly want. I'm not trying to be perfect. I'm trying to be better than I was before. Now I am happier, more confident and feel better than I EVER did, even before my pregnancies. 

💙 I made the choice to push myself everyday. To put one foot in front of the other and go for it regardless if I was "perfect" or not.

💙 I wanted to feel better about myself because in order for me to be a good mom and wife, I had to put myself first.

💙 I started reading personal development books even though people around me thought they were pointless. They helped me just as much a exercising. I'm stronger because of them. 

💙 I decided to be an advocate. I wanted to share my journey with the hopes it would help inspire others. I decided to ASK other women if they wanted the help and support I know I needed and wished someone had reached out to me. 

This is my progression. Mind, body and soul I have changed leaps and bounds from where I was a year ago. 

This life is YOUR CHOICE. You get to choose what to do from here. No one can stop you once you put your mind to it. Don't worry if you aren't perfect, no one is, YOU are enough right now to start your journey. 

💙I'll be here for you when you need someone to help support you. This is what I love and Id love to help you on your journey. Feel free to message me💙

Remember it all starts by taking that first step. Don't worry about tomorrow- only today. 

Meal Planning Tip #1

One of the best things I've ever learned from meal planning is to buy in bulk and individually package single servings. 

I can't even tell you how often Id go into the pantry and grab a few nuts here or there and before long the entire bag would be GONE! I thought a little snacking wouldn't be a big deal but it is. It adds up- all those little one or two pieces can snowball into huge oversized portions and uncontrollable cravings.

I found a way to eliminate that. 

I buy in bulk. It's so much cheaper than buying packages. You can control how much you want and you don't pay the high prices for the company to package it. 

As soon as you get home package individual servings for each day. I know that I can have 10 almonds or 15 pecan halves so that is what I put into the baggies. (To save money I use little containers OR I reuse the plastic baggies if the contents are dry!)

By doing this I can just quickly grab out a bag and eat it. No thinking or counting out how many. When you are hungry the last thing you want to do is wait any longer than you have to. Right?!? Portion out ahead of time and that will be gone! 

This also helps another issue many people, myself included, struggle with. Cravings and the will to stop eating once you have started. For me I would pick at something every time I opened the pantry door. If a package was open it was fair game. By having individual packages it helped my mind to not have a big bag of open nuts or whatever. It created a mindset where I knew once the bag was empty my eating that food was over for the day. The individual bags totally relieved me of overeating. 

Having the correct portion sizes also helps to speed up the cooking and preparing process. Just grab what you need, throw it in a bowl and you are good to go. No fussing with measuring cups or counting. Just put it together and EAT!!

I hope this little meal planning tip has helped you! If you have a different system feel free to share it below!!