Feeding your little tribe

We like to think of our family as a health conscious one.  We make our food choices based off of what we know is healthy and also what is unhealthy.  

When we grocery shop, we try to steer clear of the middle aisles of the store.  Filling our shopping cart with fresh produce,  meat,  grains and dairy products.

We will make the occasional dive in the middle aisles for pickles, baking items and of course, coffee!

Even as "health aware" as our family is, I am still a mother to 4 kids. Kids that are surrounded by sugary temptations outside of our home.

My husband and I educate our children on healthy food choices but also remember that they are just kids. We never tell them to be that kid that refuses the sliver of birthday cake, the milkshake at a sleepover or the **gasp** soda at a backyard barbecue!

Packing school lunches used to mean stuffing a juice box in next to a PB&J, a bag of oreos and a pack of fruit snacks before our "food awakening". Now, it's turkey slices, celery & peanut butter, a boiled egg and a bottle of water...and sometimes I'll slip in a homemade goodie!

I do love to treat my children with the occasional cookie or brownie, but I insist on making them myself! I try to use sugar or butter substitutes, such as bananas, applesauce or avocado but sometimes that's not always available. What makes me feel good is knowing that I'm in control of the ingredients!

And better yet, how awesome do fresh baked cookies make your house smell?!

Knowing that we give them our very best in our own home is the foundation we hope they will cling to when faced with unhealthy temptations outside of our humble abode.

So, try not to panic when you hear the word "cupcake" at your child's holiday party and in the same token, don't beat yourself up when treat your little tribe to a root beer float after dinner.

Teaching your children between having sweets as a treat and not as a staple in their diet will be a huge parenting victory!

Eat well, be well!

Becky

I'm an imperfect parent to 4 beautiful children, a creative enthusiast, and a healthy & happy living motivator to all that will hear me! I'm a native of beautiful Augusta, Ga and a partner in an amazing creative enhancement party, Arty Party of Augusta.

#mylifeisthislife #livewell

Like A Feather Friday

Welcome to Like a Feather Friday! 

It is said that a feather is weight-less. So each Friday I want to help you take the weight off. 

Here are a few ways to add Tula to your life. 

Eat Breakfast ~ I know I sound like a mom with this one! I did not eat breakfast from the time I was in Middle school until I was thirty years old. This is such a common bad habit.
Eating breakfast plays a huge role in maintaining and losing weight. So many people will rush off to school or work without eating anything until lunch. 
When you do that your blood sugar drops, you are more likely to be impulsive when choosing snacks and you are left with zero energy. So make your self eat breakfast even if it is a banana with peanut butter. 

Playful ~ In today's world it is hard to imagine yourself as a child. Children are so great at turning the most boring things into playtime. I know there are times you have to "adult", but see life is more enjoyable when you have a playful spirit. Not everything is meant to be serious people! I encourage you to be playful today. Live a little and laugh a lot!

Workout ~ Say hello to Surfer get Ups. This one move is sure to bring up that heart rate for some cardio while building muscle. 
1. Start by laying on the floor belly down. 
2. Pike yourself up to a stagger leg low lung.
3. Rise from lung to standing and pop back down to the ground. Switch sides and repeat!

"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." ~ George Bernard Shaw

                                        

Just run it off

Sunday I decided to start running again.  I was able to sneak out before the kids woke and hit the pavement. 

There is always a sense of freedom when I go for a run outside. I think it is because you can run anywhere and there are no boundaries. If I feel like running on the road I can. 

Heck I could run through an open field in zig zags and it would not matter. 

If you are looking to lose some weight, You can't go wrong with running!

When I first moved to Maryland almost four years ago, I began running to lose weight. 

I started out by running one mile each day of the week. Within a few months that one mile turned into five miles six days a week.

 I fell in love with running not because I was losing the weight but because it was helping me cope with the move from Georgia. It was my therapy. 

I kept track of my miles using the Nike running application. After twelve months of running I had ran the distance between Maryland and Georgia. I signed up for  the Iron girl 5k with my sister-n-law and surprisingly, I placed 3rd in my age group. I then started to focus on longer runs. I got up to eight miles three times a week. 

Then I became pregnant with my fifth child and slowly started to decrease my mileage to three miles by the time she was born. 

I was able to run three miles today.

I am setting new goals with running and combining it with yoga. I will keep you posted! 

Today I am sharing three movements to sleek cheeks below. The challenge on Instagram is going great and is really fun!!

Curtsy Lunge with reach and kick

1. Curtsy pulse 8x 

2. Seated curtsy

3. Side plank reach

4. Side plank kick 

(12x each side)

Lady on the table

1. Reverse table top position (with one leg crossed over the other)

2. Hip dip to touch the ground.

3. Kick leg up vertical

4. lower leg horizontal 

(repeat 12 x each side)

Rock -n- roll ups

1. squat and roll

2. plow and roll forward

3. tuck jump

(do as many as you want!)

                                             

My Fitness Journey

Hey everyone! My name is Joanne and I am so happy to be guest posting for Tula Fitness Tribe today. I am a blogger over at cleaneatingmommy.com and a fitness coach via a partnership with Beachbody and Team Inspire. I wanted to share with you, how I started my journey into fitness.

While I was growing up, I was not into fitness or sports at all. I was the typical lazy, overweight kid. I was a couch potato and spent most of my time watching tv and eating to cure the boredom. I was really shy and did not have a lot of friends at school.  I continued on this route through high school and into early adulthood. I never wanted to put in the effort to lose weight. I only wanted to sit around and complain about it but do nothing to change my bad habits.

When I was around 23 years old I decided to make a change. I joined the gym and set a goal of losing weight to go to my brothers destination wedding in Cuba. I had hit 170 pounds and did not want to have to wear a bathing suit in front of others. My goal was to get into a bikini.  Once I joined the gym and was paying to go, it was hard for me to make excuses not to go. I set the date of February 15th as my start date.

I chose that day because it was the day after Valentines Day and I wanted to enjoy the 14th with my boyfriend at the time. I had one last food binge before starting my new lifestyle. I worked out daily and followed a low carb diet, Atkins style diet. By the time the wedding rolled around in May, I had lost almost 50 pounds and felt amazing. I had never felt so good about myself ever. I had a new-found confidence and a new passion for fitness. It was just the beginning for me and it was not always a smooth road.

I had continued on that path for years and sure I gained a few pounds here and there but stayed around the same weight for around 5 years. Then I was dating a new guy that kept mentioning that I was so much "bigger" than girls he had dated in the past. When he asked me for my clothing size for Christmas presents and I told him that I wore a size 4. He swore I was lying telling me that there was no way I was a small or a size 4 and that he dated a girl that size before. That I was a bigger girl and should accept it. Well this hit me hard and then when he broke up with me it hit me even harder.

I kept telling myself it was because I was too fat.  This is when things took a turn.

I went from having a healthy lifestyle to alternating between starving myself and bulimia.

I would eat a cup of soup a day for days at a time. Then I would start eating and binge and purge often. I lost weight but did not look good. I was tired and unhealthy. Family and close friends had brought it up to me but I denied that there was anything wrong. Not so close friends would tell me how amazing that I looked and asked me for “fitness” advice. I felt like I was living a huge lie.

Until recently I had never shared that with anyone but my husband and my step mother. In the photo below, I was at my worst and really struggling with eating disorders and body issues. Two of the photos were from my birthday party that year. The one candid one, really shows how sad and stressed that I was at the time. In a posed picture I looked really happy but on the inside I was really having a hard time.

Then I met my future husband. He made me feel more happy and more secure in myself than I ever had. I had someone who thought I was perfect and loved me for who I was. Things definitely got a lot better and the starvation and bulimia stopped. I went back to working out and eating a balanced diet.  This really became important after we were married and then obviously when I became pregnant with Emma. I really paid close attention while I was pregnant to working out and eating right. Knowing my past with eating disorders, I was really careful to make sure that I was not eating too little or over doing it. Then came the real struggle, finding balance in motherhood.

Once Emma was born, I dropped 20 of the 25 pounds I gained, in the first 4 weeks. I had a c-section so I was not able to workout for the first 6 weeks after surgery. After being given the ok, I was still afraid to go back to working out. It took me about 2 months before I got back into things. I was breast-feeding (pumping). That helped a lot and was giving me decent calorie burn. I was watching the scale stay the same and I was not really watching what I was eating because I had no weight gain.

Then I stopped breast-feeding (pumping). As soon as that happened, the weight started slowly creeping up on me. I also had stopped at the worst time: the holidays. Not only was I burning fewer calories, I was eating Christmas cookie and drinking an abundance of wine. By the time the holidays ended I had put on 20 pounds. I was almost back to my pregnancy weight but with no baby!

I had picked up Slim in 6 by Beachbody and decided to start right after the holidays. It put me back in the fitness groove. I am not all the way back to my pre-baby weight but I am getting closer everyday. I did lose 10 pounds with Slim in 6 and got a lot more toned. I am continuing to use Slim in 6 and alternate it with PIYO. On weekends and some weeknights I hit the gym. I am getting back on track and my passion for health and fitness is greater than it ever has been. Now that I have shared my continuing journey with you, what started your passion for fitness?

I have joined an amazing group of women in Team Inspire and have also taken a step further in my fitness career by partnering with Beachbody the makers of P90X and Insanity. What does that mean?

I have taken on a role as coach and as a mentor. I have been coaching ladies that want to get healthy and fit. How am I doing this?

I have been running awesome challenge groups via my partnership with Beachbody! I would love to have the opportunity to help you get fit and find a love for fitness. Please contact me via our Facebook page for info about my next monthly challenge!

Like A Feather Friday

Welcome to Like a Feather Friday! 

It is said that a feather is weight-less. So each Friday I want to help you take the weight off. 

Here are a few ways to add Tula to your life. 



Be Renewed ~ To be renewed means to revive, replenish, restore, or re-establish. 
When was the last time you took a moment or a day to revive yourself? 
For me I feel revived or replenish after practicing Yoga.

Connecting to my body through breaths is such a refreshing feeling.

I want you to think about what renews you and do that today. 

Listen ~ If your like me and always in a hurry to speak, remember that the other person wants to be heard and understood as well. Listening is so powerful. It is the best way to build relationships and learn about others. Try truly listening to your husband, friends, neighbors, or even strangers today. I am going to be working on this one with you!

Workout ~ Boost your metabolism with some jumping jacks today. I sometimes jump right out of bed and do one hundred jumping jacks before anything else. I know that everyone knows how to perform them and there is a reason why they are so popular. Jacks are a quick way to elevate your heart rate, develop deep control breaths, and carrying oxygen through-out your body! Now get busy.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's good and perfect will.  Romans 12:2



                                             

Snacking is a healthy thing!

Are you a snacker? If so there is nothing wrong with that! Well to be clear as long as the snacks are healthy ones, I say go for it!

Your body needs the fuel. I am a professional snacker. I would rather snack every couple of hours then sit down and eat a huge meal three times a day.

Here is why being a snacker is good for you!

1. Helps burn fat!! Say what? When eating the right types of snacks like almonds for instance, you are actually fueling that internal furnace.

2.  Snacking can help keep your blood sugar stable. If your blood sugar tends to run on the low side like mine. It is probably best for you to keep healthy snacks around.

3. Giving yourself a boost in the old metabolism! Making mindful snack choices is one way to boost your metabolism. My go too booster is edamame or pita bread with hummus!

4. Keep your stomach small. When you are eating three large meals a day you are more likely to over eat. I find that when I snack healthy I keep the bloating at bay. My waistline looks better too! 

I have included a Chocolate Avocado Smoothie recipe below. Try it out and let me know if you found it tasty. I know I did! 

4 tbsp of Almond milk (you can use soy, or coconut milk etc.)

1/2 fresh avocado

4 oz. of vanilla yogurt 

1 scoop of chocolate protein powder (or fresh coco)

1 small banana

1 tsp of honey

  ENJOY!

                                             

Score slimmer hips with just 4 moves!

It is Magic Monday as I like to call it and I am brining you a short medicine ball workout that will score you slimmer hips!

You will be working all muscles groups today so make sure to do a quick warm up.

If you don't have a medicine ball you can use a basketball, soccer ball or perform the movements without a ball.

Let's bring out the athlete in you today!

1. Reverse lung with knee tap ~ Start in a reverse lung position and hold the medicine ball firmly over your head. (If you need to modify hold the ball at chest.) Lower down until the back knee taps the ground and then step your leg up to standing. (Perform 12 reps on each side) I like keeping the ball up the entire time because it challenges my balance and gives me a great shoulder burn as well!

2. 360 ball squats ~ Take a squat and hold the ball at your chest. Your going to hold the squat the entire time. While squatting rotate your ball from your center to the left and then right side of you twisting from your waist.
 Next  JUMP to the left and land in a squat repeat the ball twist. Perform the movement until you make a complete 360.
Remember to keep your core engaged the entire time. You want to protect your back. This is a plyometrics move so if you need to modify you could always take out the jump and step to turn. (Repeat 6 full circles)

3. Moving Warrior III ~ Balancing on one leg bring opposite knee up towards your chest, while holding the medicine ball at chest.
Kick leg out straight and hold ball straight as well. Keep your balance and kick leg back to warrior III pose still holding ball in front of you. Lower down to tap the ball on the ground and come back to standing knee tuck. (Perform 15 reps on each side)


4. V-ups ~ A V-up is a killer core workout, add the medicine ball and it's a killer full body workout! Lay flat on your back and bring arms over head. (To modify keep ball at chest.)
Zip in your stomach and lift arms and legs up to meet in a "V" position.
Lower back down flat on your back. (Repeat this 20 times)
If you want you can modify with single leg V-ups as shown in the photo above.


Bonus Move: Dog roll outs

First move of the 10 day challenge I am hosting on Instagram #SleekCheeks.
It is never too late to join in the fun!

 

                                                       

Close your eyes and just be...

Hi there friends! Hope everyone is having a relaxing Saturday and soaking in some sunshine. 

My name is Jennie Frake (not Frank) and I am a mother of two girls, married to my high school sweetheart and a lover of art, music and yoga!

 In my free time you can find me making ice cream and practicing my handstands. I am so happy to be guest blogging over here (or blogging at all for that matter) Writing can very therapeutic.

 Today, I want to share with you guys why I love yoga. Simply put, yoga makes me happy, maybe even a little high. It's my drug of choice for sure! 

It has helped me learn to love more (myself & others), opened my heart & mind and challenged me both mentally & physically. Its the best thing ever!
 I could totally stop there and leave you with some inspirational mantra but I won't. 

Today I want to share something that is weighing very heavy on my heart and scares the shit out of me to talk about especially on a blog. But if it helps even one person out there to not feel alone... then its totally worth it. 

So here we go! For several years, I have been fighting some seriously difficult ups and downs. There are no significantly good or bad things going on around me, it pretty much all in my head. The highs are awesome and the real reason I don't want to get on any medication.
 Dear God, the lows are brutal. 
I feel like celebrating every time I make it out the other side alive. I usually find ways to cope with the things mentioned above (art, music, ice cream, wine, handstands, etc).

 Yoga is truly the one big thing that helps me get out of my head. I don't know exactly what it is but its the one place I can let go of things in this world that are weighing me down. 

The world can be a wonderful, magical place to explore on the good days but on the not-so-good ones... its can be soul crushing, scary and a bit lonely. I avoid everyone on those days. I miss appointments, I cancel plans or just don't respond to anyone at all. 

I struggle just to play with my kids without them seeing my tears. I typically hide out and do my own thing until the little dark cloud passes but lately I have found I way to cope that really works. It sounds very simple and it is! 

You just stop what your doing, close your eyes and just be

. 

Sometimes there are so many distractions in this world that you can completely avoid sadness/depression, but it doesn't just go away because you pretend its not there. 
Sure! Smiling and dancing your way through a bad day can most certainly turn your day around but when you get to a place where you can deal with it, do it. 

Just take a few minutes to acknowledge whatever it is and truly let yourself feel it all. No matter how bad it gets... just acknowledge the pain, sadness, madness, anxiety, whatever it is that's stealing your joy and just feel it. Amazingly enough, it eventually goes away. And you will feel so much better!! 

I hope that if you struggle with depression at all that you will tell a friend so that you don't have to feel alone. 
If you are one of those lucky people that are happy-go-lucky all the time (like Erin) I hope you know that your smiling faces and open hearts make this world so much brighter! 

So thank you happy people! We are all in this together. 

Namasté! 

JENNIE FRAKE

Like A Feather Friday

Welcome to Like a Feather Friday! 

It is said that a feather is weight-less. 
So each Friday I want to help you 

take the weight off. 

 

Learn something new ~ Open your mind this morning and learn something new. Take the time to read a short article or a chapter in a book. Put your brain to work. Work your mind muscle today!

Forgive ~ Forgiveness sets us free. Let it go and become free today. This may mean forgiving another person or simply forgiving yourself. Forgiveness can bring healing into your life.

Lemon Water ~ I absolutely LOVE lemon water. Lemon waster is a great  natural way to stay hydrated. This miracle water cleanse out your digestive system. It is an all natural way to balance out those hormones and give your metabolism a boost. When Life gives you lemons, make lemon water! 


CHALLENGE: I want to invite you all to join in the Instagram Challenge I am hosting along with two other ladies. It begins on Monday July 20-29. I promise these ten moves will tone your bottom! You can click the Instagram icon on the left sidebar to join in the fun. I Hope you decide to join me in getting #SleekCheeks!



             

“Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.” – Proverbs 17:9

I want to know how weight-less you feel today. Comment below!


                                              

Meet Erin

Hi I'm Erin a Wellness and Fitness Lifestyle Blogger. 

I enjoy coffee, web design, talking, yoga, and over using hash tags. 

I have yet to meet a stranger. 

My greatest accomplishment was surviving five pregnancy's.

  Exhorting other's is what I do best.


Let Your Soul Vibes attract your Tribe!

                                                     

Use it or Lose it!

                            (I used 8 lbs dumb bells, please use what you are comfortable with.)

Here is a work-out that can help you build lean muscle. 

It is important that you incorporate weight training in your workout routine at least once a week.

 Did you know that you gain muscle from birth until the age of Thirty?  

Once you are in your Thirties you began to lose that muscle.

 This is a process is called sarcopenia. 

If you do not work-out at all you are losing 3% to 5% more than those who are.

I linked the article with information on Sarcopenia above. 

It is okay if you do not have a set of free weights. I have used resistance bands along with my children as substitutes. 

  Go grab some weights and let's do this set three times back to back! 

Ready set GO!!!

1. Squatting Lawn Mower ~ Get into a squat position. Make sure your back is flat. Start with the weights on or near the ground. Lift one dumbbell up in a bicep curl, then twist and lift the weight up into a shoulder press. You will want to use SLOW controlled movements. (10 reps on each side)

2. Good Morning & Rise ~ Stand with feet hip width apart and keep a slight bend in your knees. Rise to standing squeezing that booty. Now slowly raise your arms straight in front of you. Again, make sure to move slowly. (15 reps)

3. Handstand Tuck Jumps ~ Find a wall! 

Perform as many as possible. Start in Down Dog position and make sure your core is pulled in tightly. Rock back kneeling close to the ground and jump forward with both legs at the same time. You should land back down pretty softly. Repeat as many as you want. These bad boys really use the entire body and get your heartbeat up!

Take the time to care for your body. It belongs to you and you are responsible for taking care of it. Use it or Lose it!

Like A Feather Friday

Welcome to Like a Feather Friday! 

It is said that a feather is weight-less. So each Friday I want to help you 
take the weight off. 

Breathing ~ Learning to control breathing is great for Anxiety, body aches, digestive system and performance. 
If you have ever suffered from panic attacks, one of the first things a doctor will ask you to do is take deep breaths.
 If your like me and have ever given birth, (five times over here! lol) you are also aware of the role that breathing has in working through pain. 
Today focus on your breathing and see what difference it makes for you.

Learn to say "NO" ~ Sometimes we feel like we  can "do it all". Know your boundaries and learn when you have taken on too much. This is were your Tula should come in. Balance, balance, balance is key to living a full happy life. Let's leave some room for your breathing. Learn to say "NO"!

Stretch ~ Stretching has many health benefits. Today's stretching posture Upward Facing Dog. 
This move can increase your lung capacity, stretch the spine and help you achieve deeper back bends. 
It also fights depression and aids the digestive system. 
You will want to lay flat on your belly, place your hands by your rib cage and press your upper body up until everything but the tops of your feet are off the floor. Try to keep shoulder blades pressed down and hips even. 
Make the time to try this yoga posture out today!

I hope to here how weight-less you feel today in comments below. Happy Feather Friday! 

                        

I don't sweat I sparkle

 Okay so the title may be deceiving. I actually do sweat and I love to sweat! 

Today I want to make you sweat with me. These four moves put together will do just that.

1. Low Plank to High Plank ~ Start in a low plank on elbows with your core engaged. Lift to straighten one arm at a time bringing you to High Plank position. Lift and lower for one full minute. I used a stability ball but this can be  performed without it as well. I just wanted a little extra challenge. 

2. Lunge with Pull backs ~ Stand with arms straight out in front of you and step back with one leg. While you step back pull your arms back and squeeze your upper back muscles. Immediately alternate sides and continue  for one minute straight. (You can speed it up or add light weights for more intensity.)

3. Balance half star crunch ~ Balancing on one leg lift opposite leg  with heel turn inward. Lower your leg to the ground keeping toes pointed. Then sweep opposite arm down pointed leg to crunch the obliques. (Repeat this move x15 each side) YES, I did make this move up and it's name! lol

4. Sinking Boat ~ Start in Boat pose legs straight out in front. Pull in both knees together while keeping the belly button pulled in towards the spine. Your going to pull legs in in out while moving arms from straight in front to a "T" position. (x15 Reps)

Perform this work-out four times back to back!

 I want to know if you  worked out with me today, so please Pin this work-out or comment below.

WARNING! Doing this may make you SPARKLE!