I had just picked gray up from daycare and we were on our way home when….
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I suddenly started having issues seeing. There was a bright light line through my vision. I couldnt focus. We got home just in time. And then my hearing and speech started to get all funky. I couldnt put together sentences and my mind was all discombobulated.
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I was able to get gray a snack and a show on to by sometime so I could figure out what the hell was going on. I had to crawl around as my equilibrium was all off. I was able to text my best friend and semi tell her what was going on. I then started throwing up and was so disoriented.
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I was also able to call my sister and she jumped in the car and started driving here but wouldnt be here for 2 hours. Joelle sent her hubby to come take care of Gray and in the meantime my sister called an ambulance to get me. Since we had NO idea what was going on.
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And Nick….well Nick was outta the STATE. Visiting friends for a couple days. When he heard what was going on he jumped in the car and started his 14 hour drive back home. What the heck was going on?! By the time the ambulance got me to the hospital I seemed back to normal. I could speak and I knew what was going on. But for about 2-3 hours I was completely out of it.
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So after a MRI & CAT scan….everything came back perfectly normal. I wasnt pregnant. I didnt have any brain issues. It was all from a MIGRAINE. So why? I had NEVER had issues with headaches or migraines in the past. This was my first EVER one. Which was why we were all freaked out.
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But God knew what he was doing. Long story short. Nick finally got home and 3 weeks later I found out I was pregnant with Parker. God knew, he knew he had to do something extreme to get nick home to make this baby happen. It bless us with our little miss sunshine.
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Its crazy how Gods timing and planning is so insane. When I look back I know that migraine was meant to get nick home so we could start the journey of baby #2. He knew Parker was made for us. And he sure knew what He had to do to get her “made.”
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This situation always reminds me to TRUST Gods timing even when I dont see anything happening. To trust him with the plan, even when I have no idea how it will happen. Because HIS plan is greater than ours. He already SEES the end results. He knows the steps we will take. ❤

Things I cant LIVE without right now.

Im currently 5 months post partum with a busy 3.5 year old boy who is transitioning to no nap and a rolling around 5 month old. It seems like a night doesnt go by where one of them isnt up in the middle of the night or in our bed (Gray) in the early morning hours. So needless to say Im more exhausted than energized.

So I wanted to share somethings I cant live without right now in this season of life…….

1. My preworkout. I use it more than just for my preworkout. Its literally like my energy drink for energy throughout the day. Thank goodness its all natural ingredients so I feel good about it drinking it while nursing.
2. My trinity Fabletic leggings! Seriously could live in these everyday! Oh wait I pretty much do!
3. My new Sherpa from Target. Its a zip-up and I literally live in it since its like 0 degrees here right now.
4. My nursing bras from motherhood maternity. I cant find them anymore but I live in them.
5. Dry Shampoo. I dont have a favorite brand yet. But Im going to be honest that I literally only wash my hair maybe twice a week. #momlife
6. My meal planning PDF to make meal planning & grocery shopping simple and effective.
7. My wireless headphones so I can listen to podcasts or audio books while gray watches a show or while Im feeding parker. 
8. This isnt necessarily a THING but my morning ME TIME. My me time in the morning before everyone wakes up (well parker is usually up with me most mornings) fills my cup up. I read my bible, journal, visualize my future, write out what Im grateful for & get a little reading done. I can get my thoughts on paper before the day takes me away.
9. LAST ONE…my workouts. I have found days I dont workout Im more impatient & frustrated. Grateful for the ability to access these from my computer & do them anytime I want.

If you want to check any of these things out I linked the things I could! Mama I hope these help! What have you found you cant live without right now in this season of littles?!

Hey sister friend,

Idk about you but I always find myself stressing when the holidays come around. Looking for the best deals and sales. And truthfully thats not really how I want to live (but thats for another email.) Anyways I wanted to share with you because you are my person, some ways Im saving this year!

FIRST, I have been using the APP called Rebuken. Basically its a website you can shop through and earn money back on your purchases. I have earned over $100 so far. Just from shopping online (AKA amazon) And shopping through the link! Its so easy. Click here if you want to check that out!

SECOND, Im not sure if you saw my post about how Im LOVING Fabletics. But its my jam right now for leggings. The comfort and price point is perfect! I wanted to share how you can get a little gift forever yourself for Christmas because I know if you are like me you are focused on buying for everyone else. But sister you need to get YOU a little something something that will make you feel GOOD. And why not get some new leggings to get you excited to start going after those health goals come 2020!

Fabletics has a deal where you can get 2 leggings for $24 if you become a VIP member. Now heres the deal, if you don’t want to get billed every month for this membership (which is actually an awesome membership because your fee ever month actually goes towards your purchase), you can cancel before you are billed! SMART right!? If you want to check out the deal head HERE! FYI, my FAVORITE leggings are the trinity pockets!

THIRDLY, is if you are looking to invest in your health this Christmas! I mean whats a better gift than gifting yourself the gift of HEALTH! I have a deal for you. Im offering $10 off promo codes to 5 ladies who are ready to invest in an amazing bundle (all the workouts & supplements I use for my post-partum journey). This bundle is ALREADY $20 off this month so you would be getting a total of $30 OFF! The cheapest its ever been! If you want in on that HEAD HERE to check out the program we will be doing come January!!

I hope these help you save some money this holiday along with help you invest in your health!! PS check out my FREEBIE. My holiday survival guide!

Merry Christmas! And I’ll see you in the new DECADE!
XOXO
Lauren

So, if you’ve been following me over on my facebook page, you’ll know that this past week, I did a 3-day refresh and had great results even when adding in a little extra to modify because I am still nursing my 3.5 month old. I lost 3 lbs (forgot to take my measurements… whoops!) But, I definitely know that my bloat went down, I was able to break some of my sugar habits and I was happy to break through my plateau going from 175 lbs to 171!

So… as promised, I’m going to share what I did to modify so both mama and baby were happy. 🙂

The Meal Plan

The refresh is VERY low calorie. 900 calories a day to be exact. And that is WAY to low if you are nursing and staying active! So this is what I did WITH modifications!

*First and Foremost… whether you are nursing or not, you MUST drink TONS AND TONS of water throughout the refresh for several different reasons… Water regulates EVERYTHING so in order to get the fiber properly working and keep your system “in flow” it NEEDS water. Also, you are detoxing which means your body is working hard so you don’t want to get dehydrated. We want to flush out those toxins and help control our hunger so in order to do that, you need water… A LOT of water.

*Helpful tip! Prep EVERYTHING like I did pictured here. You’ll be less tempted to reach for something that isn’t in the plan and you’ll set yourself up for success!

Day 1-3: (I ate the same thing all 3 days)
1) Upon Waking: 8-10 oz glass of water + 1/3 kombucha. Before my breakfast I also had 1 scoop of my energize (also this is safe to drink while nursing) and did a light workout.
2) Breakfast: Vegan peppermint moch shakeology with FULL frozen Banana (original refresh calls for 1/2 banana but i used a full) blended with 8 oz of water + 5 oz almond milk + organic nut butter and ice.
3) Morning Tea: Pink Stork lactation tea (to promote healthy lactation). You could add a snack here if you need like 1 cup of fruit.
4) Mid-Morning: Fiber sweep (blech!) Not gunna lie, this isn’t my favorite. I shake it was 5-8 oz of water and just chug it. Dont stop until its gone and then chase it with water.  If you notice and tummy or gassy issues with you or baby you could take half a packet. You can also blended this with 8oz of water and some ice to make it more manageable. The Fiber sweep is really important in the refresh. The whole program is very fiber-dense because that’s what eliminates waste from your digestive system.

5) Lunch: Vanilla Fresh Protein shake shook (you can blend) with 10 oz of water, splash almond milk, cinnamon and ice. 1 Cup of spaghetti squash with 1 cup organic tomato sauce + 1 cup strawberries.

If you wanted to blend your vanilla shake you could blend it with a FULL banana instead of eating the strawberries. Another option here too is to pick veggies from the list. I just did spaghetti squash because we had it and it needed to be eaten.

6) Afternoon Snack: 3 cups carrots and peppers & hummus + 1/3 Kombucha.

7) Afternoon Tea: Pink Stork lactation tea (to promote healthy lactation). You could add a snack here if you need like 1 cup of fruit. I felt like I was in need of something extra here in order to keep my supply up so I added in a cup of fruit (blueberries and raspberries).

8) Dinner: Vanilla fresh protein shake blended (same as lunch) (You could blend with 1/2 banana- original refresh says dont blend with anything.) I also had the coconut steamed veggies (green beans & broccoli) meal from the “dinner options” in the book which is basically mixed vegetables sauteed with coconut oil and a pinch of himilayian salt + pepper. I modified this too and added in an extra cup of roasted sweet potatoes.

9) Evening Tea: I forgot to do this because I felt pretty satisfied after dinner and went to bed early lol. But I would’ve had Pink Storks Tea again OR the optional 1 cup of organic veggie broth that’s allowed.

So, that was it for the meal plan! 🙂 Easy peasy, right? WRONG! lol. Not going to lie… the refresh isn’t easy… well, comparing it to most cleanses out on the market it’s actually quite nice. You actually get to EAT food instead of putting your body in to starvation mode. This isn’t one of those “harsh cleanses.” By feeding your body clean foods that it actually uses.. you’re more likely to keep the weight OFF post-cleanse. But it is challenging both mentally and physically… especially if you aren’t used to eating super clean and you’re already eating more than you’re supposed to. BUT… it’s only 3 days! YOU can do ANYTHING for 3 days. I had a handful of coaches on my team were doing the refresh with me.. so I had plenty of support and accountability to get me through it. 🙂 Plus… I was reallllly determined to break my plateau and get back on the “clean eating” train. I knew it was the jump-start that I needed! That meant I had to stay FOCUSED!

Working Out

During the refresh, the recommend moderate to mild exercise. By keeping it light you will use your energy more effectively to help clean up your system. I also knew I needed to keep it light because my body was working hard to detox itself AND make milk for my baby… So, instead of going balls to the wall with my MM100 workouts, I did the workouts still just didnt go crazy. Monday I did the freestyle flow, tuesday was LIT cardio (did it slower) and wednesday was downbeat strength (again did it slower).

Post-Cleanse
So, what do you do post-cleanse? You should *continue shakeology!* Which is why the refresh challenge comes with a 30 day supply of shakeology so you can continue feeding your body good nutrition and so you don’t steer yourself off track. Since the refresh, I haven’t felt any cravings for any cheeses, quest bars, crackers or any other temptations I was stuffing my face with prior. 🙂 I find myself wanting more whole foods – fruits, healthy fats and veggies. I will admit, I’m super happy to eat meat again after being completely vegan for 3 days lol!

It also made me realize how many servings of veggies I TRULY need to eat a day to keep seeing and maintaining my results from my workouts. Once you do the refresh you will finally see that nutrition really IS 80% of the equation when it comes to getting the body you want. I’m making it a goal to make sure I get all of my veggies servings in EVERY DAY. So, I’m not only continuing with shakeology but I will also be following the 2b Mindset nutrition plan from here on out. That will ensure that I’m getting exactly what my body needs, how much of it to eat and when to eat it each day.

Phew! I think that about covers it all. 🙂 If you have any questions or want to get started with your 3-day refresh and/or my January Rise the BARRE group… make sure you fill out the application. 🙂

Hope this was helpful for you today! Talk soon! 🙂

8.5 years ago I had a vision.

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I wanted to help women with their health&fitness online so I could be home with my future babies. At the time I wasnt even dating anyone. So babies were in the way future. I had NO IDEA how I was going to make it happen. This was before IG and before online coaching really became big.

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So I went to college for exercise science & psychology thinking I could make something work. In the meantime I was working MULTIPLE jobs, homework, & getting in my workouts (which at the time were so ineffective because I never ventured into the free weight section because I wasnt confident in my abilities.)

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Then I met Joelle, sitting in the toddler room at the daycare we worked at. We did some small talk and she invited me to watch this webinar from her mentor about this online health&fitness coaching thing she just started. I thought “holy crap! This is exactly what I want to do. Without having to create workouts, supplements, meal plans, etc.

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So I jumped in. Little did I know I already had one of their leading at home workout programs, Insanity. Have you done it? Maybe you even have the old school DVDs collecting dust, like mine were.

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Did I mention I was a BROKE college student. Barely making it. Overdrafting almost weekly, even though I was working multiple jobs. It just never seemed to be enough to live on. So I put my shake & business start up on a credit card. I had NO IDEA if it was legit or if it would work for me. And truthful I dont think it crossed my mind. I have no idea it was a network marketing company.

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I just knew I wanted to do something DIFFERENT than your graduate and get a desk job or 9-5 job. I knew I wanted to help other women with their health&fitness along with get fit myself. I knew I wanted something from home so I could build a business that would support my future family while being able to raise my kiddos and never miss any firsts.

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Sister friend, I had NO IDEA what I was doing. I have no idea if it would work. I didn’t have the money to start. I also was mega busy. So I barely had any time. BUT I made it all work. WHY? Because I wanted something different for my future than working multiple jobs to barely make it. I wanted to have a career but raise my kids. I wanted to support our family and not depend on my future husband’s income.

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I wanted MORE. Can you relate? Are you a mom like me now wanting something for YOU. Wanting more for your life than just changing diapers & wiping noises? Are you working multiple jobs but still barely making it wishing there was something more but you don’t want to get another Part time job? Are you intimidated by the gym and the weights and want something you can do at home? DO you just want to be surrounded by positive like minded women who want MORE for their lives?

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Sister reach out if you relate. If you said YES to any of these! I have a coach workshop group starting TOMORROW where we are taking action ASAP to build a business where you can create the life you want on YOUR terms. I hope you reach out and we can chat so we can see if this is a good fit for you!

10 Tips for Exercising While Pregnant

As the belly expands, the baby grows, and your energy is zapped. Being pregnant can be a strain: mentally, physically, and emotionally. The time when a woman is pregnant is a magical time when she gets to experience her body doing what it is meant to do: carry another human until birth. What an honor!

What about the regimen you have worked hard to get down pat? The lunges, crunches, weights that you have been taking care to be diligent about doing? Can you still do that while you are pregnant? In most cases, yes, you should be able to be active and exercise-just not in the hardcore way you may have been previously.

Here are 10 tips for exercising while pregnant.

Talk to your Doctor

It is always important to discuss exercise changes with your doctor. If you were not on a regular exercise program prior to pregnancy, then you should seek the approval of a medical professional before starting a new one. Ease into an exercise routine: there is not need to put undue stress on the body.

Recognize Body Changes

When you are pregnant. There are a myriad of beautiful changes happening in your body. One in particular to note is that your center of gravity shifts. This can cause you to lose your balance and fall easily. If you are using walking as your exercise of choice, then avoid surfaces that could cause you to fall: potholes, uneven sidewalks, rough surfaces.

Deep Core

One website suggests to focus on deep core exercises, again, only if you already have a routine. By focusing on the core, you are preparing your muscles for childbirth. One of the many benefits of exercise is getting the muscles ready for a smooth childbirth.

Listen to your Body

Pay attention to the way that your body is responding to the exercise. Make sure to rest when you need to rest, drink water when you need to, and basically become intune with what the body is telling you. Along with making sure to listen to your body, also do not overdo the exercising. Just because you feel that you can complete more exercise, it does not mean you should. As mentioned above, listen to your body. There is a difference between pushing and just going crazy!

Modify

There are alot of moves/exercise you can still do while pregnant but there are alot some that need modification or that shouldnt be done. Make sure to make modifications when it comes to core moves like planking & crunching. These moves are fine to do during your first trimester but as baby and belly get bigger the added pressure could cause Diastasis Recti (separation of the abdominal muscles). This would happen after pregnancy. So being aware of what moves should be modified and what moves are okay to do is important!

Exercise with your partner

Making exercise part of a routine with your partner will not only help you be accountable, but it will also start to build a stronger bond between you two. You will have many tired days and sleepless nights in the days to come, but exercising together helps you to learn to work as a team. If you already work well as a team, you will only strengthen that bond. 

Stretch and Warm-up

Just like you do when not pregnant, stretching and warming up before a workout is the best habit to have. Being pregnant comes with it’s own set of problems, and sore muscles does not need to be one of them!

Mind over Matter

Exercising while fatigued is all about mentally getting yourself to actually be active. The balance is remembering to listen to your body, but also use the mind over matter to at least try.

Hydrating

Even when you are not pregnant, it is important to hydrate. While you are exercising, make sure to get enough water.

Pre-workout and Post-Workout

The pre-work and post-workout food items become even more important while you are pregnant. You are in need of the energy, nutrition, and replenishing nutrients is extremely important to the body. While you are pregnant and exercising, make sure that you are eating healthy, nutritious foods throughout the day. Using a pre-workout supplement and a post-workout supplement is a great idea. Make sure to check with your doctor first before starting any supplements. (Linked are the supplements I currently take at 22 weeks pregnant). 

Being pregnant is a great experience, taking care of yourself during this time should be extra important. Many women fear being unable to continue their “normal” routines while pregnant, but exercising does not have to be something you need to give up. Staying active is important for you and the baby, and it will help you feel better overall. 

I would be happy to talk to you about great routines for pregnancy exercise, as I am pregnant and exercising right now! Contact me for more information, tips, tricks, and my nutrition regimen.

Resources

https://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/exercise-during-pregnancy/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/290217.php

https://www.self.com/story/tips-for-exercising-while-pregnant

http://www.frecklesinmymind.com/

https://www.sweat.com/blogs/fitness/tips-for-exercising-during-pregnancy