Are you Happy? Truly Happy? At peace with your life the way it is? 

Or are you always wanting more.

And if you are what is it your are wanting more of?

Often times it is just true peace we are seeking!

Of course times get crazy and we run around nonstop like chickens with our heads cut off, 

especially if you are a mother but sit back and take a look at your life. 

Most of us have it pretty good! We have so much to be thankful for.

So how can we make it better.

An incredible author and friend has a pretty great line to remember, 

"Choices create habits, habits create character, and your character is your destiny."

What are your habits? 

We all have them good and bad.

Make a list this weekend of your good habits and bad habits.

Then try to figure out how you are going to convert that bad one into a good one. 

From the health side of things... 

maybe you don't exercise enough, maybe you eat too many sweets or salty things, 

perhaps you make excuses to not exercise, maybe you watch too much 

TV and don't read enough books, maybe you allow your kids too much screen time

 instead of being active with them or encouraging them to be! 

Maybe you miss church because you are just tired, or it is getting cold 

or someone has games. 

Maybe you just make too many excuses. 

So as we enter these colder months and it gets harder to get up in the morning, 

we tend to eat more comfort foods and we move our bodies less,

 let's change those habits!

Make a short list of your fall/winter goals to stay active and eat healthy and 

get to church even when you would rather stay in bed! 

I'm going to say it and I may get crap for it but it is true.

You would not let your child miss their soccer, football or volleyball game.

Why would you let them miss Church! 

Make a plan to get their and don't let anything get in the way.

Pick out a good book to tackle 10 pages or 10 minutes of at night!

Make your plans for the week for exercise and stick to them no matter how you feel.

Chances are you will always feel better when you are done!

Get some good healthy crockpot recipes going! 

Grab a couple exercise DVD's for those nights you want to go lay in bed at 7pm 

when it is dark and move your body instead, get your kids to do it with you! 

Make your plan for Church and keep it sacred! It is the most important 

hour of the week for you and your family.

Need a book idea to get you on track.

Here is an incredible author and friend of mine! 

He write amazing and inspiring books! 

http://www.amazon.com/Matthew-Kelly/e/B001H6RVOE

Bootcamp is in full swing!

Tues and Thurs 545am

Wed at 6pm

Be on the look out for new Online Bootcamp HOLIDAY SPECIALS coming up the next two months!

What are you telling yourself and what are you doing?

We all have wants. Most of us want to be in good shape, want to look good in shnazy clothes, 

want to feel confident in them and out of them. 

How we look says a lot about how we take care of ourselves. 

God gave us this gift of the body, it is pretty perfect... yes even the stretch marks,

 the scars, the flat chest, the huge one, the big butt, the flat one, the thick thighs and the scrawny ones.

It is perfect and so are you. God made you that way. 

But he also expects us to take care of ourselves. 

Be satisfied with what he gave you and work hard to take care of it.

Inside and Out! 

So what are you telling yourself?

I will start clean eating tomorrow?

I will start running tomorrow? I will get to class next week? There is so much going on.

The kids are in so many activities, I am not a morning person, I am not up for it.

 I would rather go out with my friends. News flash... get that friend to join you for 

class or a workout THEN GO OUT! 

Hang out with the people who want the best for you, 

not ones that will make more excuses for you! 

Trust me we do enough of that on our own. We need people who will help us be accountable! 

People who will push us, get us out of our comfort zones to attain our goals. 

The ones who will say "Go do it and stop making excuses, I will be here when you are done 

or better yet I will do it with you."... 

or 

"Get the crap out of your fridge, want me to help you get rid of it."

 Or... come to Church with me on Sunday? Let's go together and go for a walk after?" 

Surround yourself with people who want the best for you. 

The ones who will help you follow through with what you are telling yourself. 

Get your butts out there. Commit to your workouts. I believe enough in you, 

I know you can do it, I am here for you. You owe it to yourself to make it happen. 

You are important enough to eat right, exercise and get to Church! You cannot do it alone. 

The big man is there for you and so are the ones who love you! 

So enough B.S. whatever it is your are telling yourself. MAKE IT HAPPEN.

And whatever excuses that come up... well consider that from the evil one cause..

You got this. I BELIEVE IN YOU!

Actions speak louder than words. Let's start Acting!

Some fun stuff coming up!!!

More online challenges.

Loaded 5K. 

Likely Sept 25th so mark your Calendars! 

You don't want to miss it!!!

So what do you plan to change?

The kids are going back to school. Summer is coming to an end. 

I have heard many talk about the longing for routine again. 

We thrive on routine and so do our kids. 

So what is your plan? 

We have football season fast approaching which means early mornings, tail gating, not the healthiest food and lots of booze. Fun yes... but in the long run you can be better to yourself and your body. 

You don't have to give in to every splurge. When you combine alcohol and bad eating you are just torturing r your body and not in a good way. Start doing some research now on how to eat better for tailgating, drink more water and be sure to get your rest. These are fun times but often times they can sabotage an entire day which actually means they can sabotage all of your efforts of clean eating and exercise for an entire week leaving you back to square one come Sunday or even worse. You decide. Yes have fun, yes splurge a little but choose wisely you can have it all. Make the commitment to yourself to get your early morning workout in before you tailgate, pack healthy foods, and limit your alcohol consumption. 

So for the rest of the week? As you hustle bustle the kids around to practice and school? What are you going to pack your car with? Stay out of the gas stations for snacks. Pack them. Have a little lunch box of emergency snacks. Nuts, Quest bars, healthy nut and dried fruit mixes, protein powder to mix with water at any time, or grab a piece of fruit and a cheese stick when you walk out the door. 

Plan to succeed, if you don't you will fail. 

Also time to get that crockpot out! There are so many healthy recipes out there! Get searching now! 

Your workouts!!!

You know where I am. 

We will have bootcamp outside til it gets too cold! 

545am classes twice weekly and 7pm on Wed! 

BOOTCAMP NEWS:

Swim workouts offered once a week to members of Ankeny Golf and Country Club.

Time and Date decided weekly. 

Online Back To School Bootcamp to start August 18th. Be sure to sign up.

BEYOUTFIUL BOOTCAMP FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS WEEKLY.

Sundays 530-6pm. 

Online Bootcamp Challenge to be announced soon too! 

DARE TO BE GREAT!

I love the above quote! We are all made for greatness. Every single one of you out there is made for greatness. It is time to rise and work towards it. It is so easy in life to make excuses. Why? 

Who are you fooling? Only yourself.

I heard a great line from an awesome inspirational speaker last week. "What lie are you listening to?"

When you have those doubts, or those excuses creep up... that is not you. That is the other trying to convince you that you are not great, that you cannot do it. It is a lie. You can do it. It is in you. 

If you goal is to get in shape and you feel like you keep starting over and over then you are giving into that lie. DON'T. YOU ARE meant for Greatness. Everyday you need to say it and believe it and the second you start doubting yourself remember who that comes from. It is not you. 

Some days will be awesome and you will feel awesome. Other days you won't. Those are the hard days, those are the days that the other is working hard on you to give in, to quit to believe the lie. 

So who are you going to listen too? Make the decision now. Make the decision now to live for Greatness.

It is easy to settle, it is easy to say "I will do it later," there is always tomorrow. NOPE, not anymore, there are not guarantees on how much time you get here. Start today and start RIGHT NOW. 

Lastly... you cannot go it alone. You have all heard me say it before and a priest at Mass reminded of it this weekend in such a beautiful way. Jesus wants you, he wants you to talk to him, pour out your heart, give him all of your pain, temptations and lies, he wants to hear your joys and sufferings. He wants you. 

DO YOU WANT HIM?

Humbling and refreshing. Give HIM your day everyday. Surrender.

Bootcamp is getting very exciting! We still have weekly classes Monday/ Thursday 6am and Wed 7pm.

Online Bootcamp is Booming! You can still get in this session if you want too! Onnly $50 for 4 weeks!

Coming Sunday.

BEYOUTIFUL BOOTCAMP for Middle Aged Girls.

Faith, Friendship and Fitness all in one.

6-630pm on Sunday July 20th. $6.

Pray Hard, Work Hard and Play Hard...

Kate

It has been awhile. Summer is in full swing and honestly I don't have a dull moment. 

The kitchen seems to be open 24 hours a day full of hungry boys of all ages. 

The house seems to be collecting grass clippings and dripping water from the pool or sprinkler.

And let's be honest. I have a one year old... so there are bits and pieces of him everywhere. 

I have given up the fight of having a perfectly clean home. 

As long as the laundry is done and everyone is fed we are good. 

Daily chores are happening but the clean and pretty aftermath does not last long.

It's summer... a time to let a lot go of a LOT of the stuff that does not matter 

and do more of what DOES matter and truly enjoy life! 

Summer is the time of year I get spend a full day with my boys. Sometimes I want to run away and hide on a little island but most days I just love to be with them and be there for them. 

BUT... this Mama still needs her sanity time and that means pray and exercise and healthy eating. 

So how do you fit it all in?

There in lies the mystery.

Some days are smooth and other days well let's just say they are ugly. 

I am human, they are human and well we just don't mesh sometimes! 

Nonetheless the important things in life still need to get done. 

How..... 

First things first. 

1. I listen to the daily readings to start my day. Simple. Great apps out there for it too.

Just play it on your phone or ipad. The kids can listen too! 

2. Write down in a notebook 1 thing you are thankful for and 1 thing you will work on for the day.

Be simple and concrete and keep the notebook handy. 

3. Figure out when you are going to get that workout in. Decide and put it in your planner.

Amazingly enough my warm up or cool down is actually a workout with my boys. 

10 minutes. Every minute on the minute we do something. And they all do it. 

Burpees, situps, jacks, pushups, squats, runs... 

4. Working on weaknesses... I have many. But most days I can put Zeke in the swing and work on muscleups, and enjoy Zeke or whoever else is out there! I just tell myself 5 sets of 3 or 4 or 5 and done. 

Speaking of I still have to do them today... 

Some days they feel great, others days they feel awful but I still try. 

5. Eat well and drink even more. 

1 gallon of water a day. PERIOD. 

Breakfast everyday. Oats, blueberries, almonds and eggs and lots of COFFEE. 

Plan your meals and make them yourself DON'T EAT OUT! 

Save your money and know what you are putting into your mouth. 

Put that money in a jar and save up for a massage! 

6. Get to sleep and pray AGAIN.

I am reading the boys a Spiritual exercise book for young adults as well as a fun silly book after for entertainment. 4-6 pages a day! Takes less than 10 minutes and they actually look forward to it! 

Then I end with a little daily reflection book, check in on my handy dandy notebook to see how I did for the day. Sometimes I fail and others time I do well on that one thing I wanted to workout. If I failed I do it again tomorrow! Don't dwell on your failures. Recognize them and move on! 

Make it happen! I can help you!

So.... 

as mentioned above... "Ask yourself if what you are doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow. In all aspects of life. Faith, Fitness, Life. 

Always listening...

Pray Hard. Play Hard and Work Hard. 

Weekly Bootcamp

Monday and Thursday 6am

Wed 7pm. 

Online bootcamp for July... message me for details!

What are you doing this summer to stay active? 

We have more cookouts, celebratory drinks, exposing more skin in shorts, tanks and swimsuits. 

What is your game plan? 

Many are prepping for upcoming races which is awesome! 

Keep signing up for events like this, it will keep you IN training. 

Do you have a plan? A goal. I know I talk about it so often. 

Because it is that important. 

We cannot reach our goals without having them.

We need to reach too not be luke warm about them. 

We need to be precise and simple and realistic. 

Baby steps to change your life. 

No more excuses as to why you can't.

You need to plan your meals and workouts just like 

your kids coaches and dance instructors plan your kids practices. 

You would not dare allow your kid to miss practice or a game.

Consider your workouts with the same priority. 

YES it is that important. 

Schedule it in and don't miss it. 

Plan your meals and pack them. Take them with you too work.

Stop spending money on crap food out. It is damn near impossible 

to eat clean when you are out and it is way to tempting to splurge.

Avoid the temptation. I have taught you how to plan your meals.

Take one day a week and plan them and prep them. 

WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU EAT.

It is something everyone seems afraid to do.

The answers to your weight loss or weight gain are hidden there. 

If you want to reach your goals it starts with what you put in your mouth. 

Then with your work ethic...

get to bootcamp! Eat clean. 

New classes start up June 9th.

Game plan.

Monday and Thursday 6am.

Wed 7pm

And one mid morning class each week, time and day to be determined weekly.

More details to come on facebook. 

Decide now to stop making excuses and attain your goals. 

I am always here to help!!!

So I am intrigued and motivated this month. Get ready for it... 

it gets mushy and preachy, don't be afraid. 

If you are a teacher well my grammar stinks but I don't care.. 

I had an incredible talk with my cousin who happens to be a priest this past weekend. 

We talked about our struggles and he shared his. Not something you 

expect to hear from a priest I suppose. None the less it was an awesome talk. 

He spoke about teaching the faith and giving people guidance and how 

that is the simple part. The hard part is living it out. Living out what you are preaching. 

Leading by example. It really started to make me think. I try very hard to be there for people.

I try so hard to be there for my kids. I try to listen and give guidance, 

sometimes even when it is not requested but sometimes it just needs to be said. 

Most often I fail at being that example to my kids as I get frustrated and act like a spoiled child.

A good friend will tell you what you need to hear if you don't want to hear it. 

A good parent will discipline his/her child and not worry about whether he/she like 

them or not after it is done. We all need structure and someone to keep us in line. 

I had that with my father. 

If I began to loose sight of what was important in life and my peace was disrupted, 

my Dad would often reel me in, but always in a loving way. 

And then again he would often tell me things I did not want to hear but needed too. 

And it was that simple love that kept me in line. 

That structured love put me back in my place and kept me moving forward on my journey.

 I cannot put into words how much I miss my father.

 His cold hands and warm firm embrace when he hugged me, 

the look he would give me if I was loosing my cool with my kids 

and how he would call me out or pull me aside.

And how he sat cross legged in his chair at the kitchen table and listened to me so

 deeply talk about my concerns and struggles in life, never interrupting. 

He was my rock, keeping me in line. And now he is gone. 

So... I have to suck it up and find my way... and there in lies the problem. 

I still need that guidance. 

What is comes down too is faith. I need to rely on someone, 

my Dad is gone but Christ is not. He has always been there and always will be.

 My cousin said something I found quite funny actually and awesome.

He talked about being angry with God sometimes and how he just plain did not speak 

so kindly to God sometimes. My response to that was... that is still a relationship. 

You are telling him you are mad and frustrated and there is nothing wrong with that. 

How many of us don't talk to him at all? 

Me... I often think I can do it all. Such pride. We can't do it all. We need HIM.

 We need each other. I needed that conversation with my cousin that day.

It was humbling and refreshing. It was like talking to my Dad.

We need those who love us enough to keep us in line. 

Not to tell us what we want to hear but to tell us what we NEED to hear. 

That is true friendship. So why am I even talking about this? 

It all goes hand in hand. We cannot do anything alone. 

We have to have those we love to help us on our journey to live healthy and be healthy. 

We have to have faith that when we are falling apart...

 no matter what it is... things are going to be ok, no matter the outcome. 

We have to lean on HIM. Talk to HIM. Voice our struggles.

 They are real. 

So is HE and he is waiting for us to just talk to HIM. 

It makes me sad to think I don't do it enough. 

The very one who died for us and I ignore HIM. 

So bottom line... 

None of you are in this fight to be healthy alone. 

We are thrown obstacles and struggles not to be tested, but to reel us back in...

 to remind us that we cannot do it alone. To remind us to share all of our pains, 

and joys to HIM. In fitness, in health in life. Everything.

We are fools to think it is not all connected. 

Life began with Him. He is there for us and so am I. 

I can listen... I can help keep you in line..

Be good. Pray hard, Eat well and kick some ass when you workout. 

Leave it all out there... He did. 

Peace out.

Online bootcamp Starts Monday! You can still get in!

Bikini Bootcamp is up and running and going awesome despite the weather!

Next Week Training Times:

Monday and Thursday 545am

Wed 615 PM
T/W/Th 1215 PM

Get here, write down what you eat and quit being scared about it. 

Surrender.........