Tag Archives: healthy

Passing The Baton {adoption news}

Posted on by

5

running trail, river trail, bikin trail,

I think my heart might just explode.

Yesterday was such a blessing that I’m afraid that today might just be a bust.

For those of you who are not my friends on Facebook, I’ve got some news!

We are officially approved for the adoption process and have in fact already submitted our homestudy to two cases (meaning two children).

I can’t even begin to explain how overwhelming this part was though. I thought we had gone through the hardest part of the process, the waiting, but boy was I wrong.

This part of the process caught me off guard. Not the approval but the fact that you need to decide on some very tough issues people and most parents don’t deal with on their daily basis and some, in their whole life.

We decided, from the beginning, that we’d be open to children with disabilities, illnesses, diseases, etc because if we had gotten pregnant, there would always be a chance for our child to be born this way, so why not choose a child and love them through it? Mind you, this was the hardest decision we’ve ever had to make through this process.

Yesterday I was reminded of that. As we emailed the social worker back and forth throughout the day, my husband and I stared at each other in the living room after finding out several conditions a little one had.

The question floated in the air.

Do we? Should we?

He said yes.

My heart pattered a lot quicker.

What do you think?, he asked.

I (after a few moments of hesitation)… think we’d be able to do it.

The assurance in his voice convinced me. Let’s say yes.

I replied with an odd confidence to the email- we want our homestudy submitted for him.

——————————————————–

A week ago I picked up running. I physically never imagined myself being able to run at this weight. Thursday I beat my own mile. 11:40 (since then I have improved my mile twice). When the app on my phone told me as I ran, I smiled. I continued running, my speed picked up, and I just smiled!

At that point I realized that I was okay with God. I was okay with Him taking His time. I was okay with Him doing what He needed to do. I was okay with the slow adoption process. I was okay with the infertility. It all clicked that very moment.

I felt like I had finally let go. I was able to breath. I was free. I freed my thinking, freed myself from my own negativity and surrendered to God. It’s as if I passed the baton to Jesus and my time to run that direction was over.

I had a breakthrough in the middle of my run.

Days later we get the notice that we are approved. This was a God thing. God has the baton. He’s running for me. He’s running for our adoption. He’s providing for our needs. He’s in control.

I’ve never had such beautiful surrendering experience like this before. I feel free and even though this new part of the adoption process is overwhelming, I will run to Him. My sweet Jesus, my refuge through this all, how can I not turn to Him?

We tend to hold on to chaos as it were a baby. Most of us know we can hand it over to God. We know we can rely on His strength and yet we cradle chaos, because we think we can handle it. We don’t. Hand over chaos, negativity, depression, insecurity, finances, parenting, your marriage, your studies, WHATEVER, over to God. I know that sometimes we fool ourselves thinking we can handle it… but we can’t. He’s knows better and wants you to trust Him.

That’s all I have for now. I’ll keep you posted!

The 7 Weight Loss {not so secret} Secrets

Posted on by

3

Hello my wonderfully amazing readers! I’ve got news for you!

To date this year I’ve lost 16lbs, bringing my weight loss to a 40lbs weight loss mark. Happy Dance! Woot woot! It means I am less than 15lbs away from meeting my short term goal and reaching the 55lbs mark. It is quite joyous!

I’ve had plenty of people ask me what the “secret” is. Well, I don’t have secrets when it comes to weight loss but I would LOVE to share with you some tips that have definitely worked for me on this journey.

  • Drink Water, Lots of Water- it’s simple, really. I carry a water bottle with me everywhere I go. It also means that I have to go pee everywhere I go but that’s okay. So keep hydrated!
  • Eat Dinner with the Senior Citizens- No, you don’t have to literally go dine with them, although they would be great company while you learn to eat dinner early. Don’t eat dinner past 7pm. My husband and I have learned to eat dinner daily around 5-6pm. The later you eat, the longer your body takes to process food. If you eat dinner earlier, you get more time to burn dinner off!
  • Eat A LOT- Many people have the misconception that the less you eat means the more you lose (in weight). WRONG. I don’t want you to be eating a steak dinner ever night with a side of Twinkie’s. Eat a lot of veggies, whole grains, fruits, lean proteins, and less processed foods.
  • Work Out- Ha, this should be a no-brainer but you’d be surprised how many people expect to lose weight without having to workout. Find a program that works for you. In my case, P90X has worked for me and I love it. Workout 5-6 days a week to get results.
  • Get Your Sleep- Make sure to be well rested. Your body needs time to recover overnight and a few hours just doesn’t cut it. Get at least 6-8 hours of sleep.
  • Get Support- Weight loss is tough and when the scale seems to get a little stubborn, one might feel discouraged. To avoid any discouragement, make sure you find a support group that will keep you encouraged and accountable for your daily workouts. If you want to join my free support group, leave me a comment and I’ll add you right away!
  • Set Reasonable Goals- One thing that can get a person discouraged about weight loss is having unreasonable goals. Many of us hope to lose 100lbs in 5 months and while it’s not all too impossible, it definitely will be hard. Set a short term and long term goal. For example- my short term goal is to lose 15 more pounds. My long term goal is to lose a total of 105lbs. Breaking up these goals will make your long term goal seem less overwhelming and more doable.

This has been an exciting journey. When I first started this weight loss journey, I’d cry in the middle of mountain climbers because how hard they were. Now I am 40lbs lighter finishing up one of the hardest workout programs ever (P90X). So don’t be discouraged when some days you are not seeing the scale go down or when you simply struggle to breath. Take it one step at a time!

Need any help? Want some encouragement? Head over to my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/coachbettybarrera

Boggled about Blogging

Posted on by

6

It’s hard to balance writing a blog when there are SO many different things going on in my life. I mean, it may be hard to believe for some BUT infertility isn’t the only thing I eat, sleep and breath here.

So if this is your first time checking out my blog (or not), then here’s what I’m all about (summed up in really basic words)-

  • I’m infertile,
  • We are going through an adoption process,
  •  I am on a weight loss journey,
  • I am a Beachbody Coach,
  • I’m a military spouse
  • My husband and I have started to eat less processed, dairy-less and less meats,
  • I am learning to do more DIY (Do It Yourself) projects,
  • oh and I’m a sinner with flaws that cover the Great Wall of China and back and remember that through God’s grace I am here.

How do you fit that all in a blog when I want to post about the pains of infertility and then a post on how to make Almond Milk? HA! I have no idea!

Often times I’ve thought about making two different sites for different posts but I am truly not that dedicated in maintaining two different blogs on any given day. So if you’re ready to ready about any of the above topics or more (as life tends to throws some sour lemons my way), then stick around!

I think I’ll use this post as a transition to some yummy recipes to come! I’ll try posting some later tonight!

Any topics you want to see? Recipe ideas? Suggestions? Let me know!

Eat This: Homemade Hummus

Posted on by

0

Hummus.

Yes, I bet your mouth is already drooling at the simple sight of the word. So delicious, so healthy, so fresh, so smooth, and dare I say… EASY to make.

A few weeks ago I bought me one of the greatest tools for the kitchen- a food processor. We bought the Ninja and boy oh boy, I’ve used that thing everyday since it’s been in my kitchen.

I don’t like to buy the store hummus for many reasons- it’s not always so fresh, the taste is either bland or too over-powering, and even though labels say one thing, I don’t always trust them. I love buying the hummus from my local farmers market but because I haven’t had the time to go on Thursday’s, I have been hummus-less for a while.

We got the stuff we needed and voila- we made some yummy stuff!

Here’s the recipe-

Cilantro Avocado Hummus

Ingredients List-

Hummus

Hummus

1 can of garbanzo beans (or you can easily make your own)

2 TBSP of Tahini (add more or less to taste)

2 garlic cloves minced

1/4 TSP of cumin

Lemon juice (fresh squeezed preferred)

1/4 cup of cilantro (more adds more spice!)

1/2 avocado

Instructions-

Throw it all in your food processor or blender and blend until smooth or the consistency you like your hummus.

Enjoy with veggies- raw carrots are my fave, whole wheat breads, as sandwich spreads and more!

Put it in a bowl and enjoy to your hearts content!

4 Excuses

Posted on by

3

I am so sore.

Like sore that if I move a muscle I feel the pain.

It’s a good sore feeling though. I’ve worked out for the entire week and have burned over 4,000 calories and finally lost a pound. It’s been a great week! Finally lost 25 pounds!!

As I sit here and write about my workout week I start reminiscing about the over-used excuses I’ve made to not workout in the past.

1. I don’t have time.

2. I don’t have the money to eat healthy.

3. I don’t have the equipment to workout.

4. I am happy being the size I am (huge lie to myself).

Of course the list went on and on of excuses.

Excuse number one- I know that it can be hard to find one hour of your day to workout… but if you have time to watch your favorite tv show in the evening, you can make time to workout.

Now, excuse number two is rather more complicated. I grew up eating meat and beans and more than often we ate beans at home. Growing up I wasn’t introduced to the various fruits and veggies others have enjoyed. For one, my parents worked all the time leaving me to be the full time cook at home and two, we couldn’t afford it. So yes, eating healthy can be pricey. But I’ve learned that I have to make a sacrifice in order to improve my health. Also, there are some savvy shoppers out there that can give you some budget friendly food advice.

Excuse number three- don’t have a gym membership? no problem. I started losing my first 15 pounds or so with a $10 workout video (The Last Chance by The Biggest Loser) and some $6 hand weights. One of my friends has lost weight by simply doing jumping jacks and sit ups! Also, its January, the gyms are ready to hand out memberships for as low as $10 a month in some areas! Can’t afford $10? That’s okay! Start walking outside. Last week I took the challenge to walk up my street. For one, I am not so much of an outdoors person and neither am I one to work out in nature. I like the gym where it’s all controlled ;) . So I walked up my street and I soon felt the pain. The hills, the incline, the pain and soreness in my muscles. I walked over two miles and my goodness, was my body in pain!

Excuse number four- okay, so maybe you do like the way you look and your size but that wasn’t my case. I remember last August as I walked into Old Navy in need of bigger sized jeans cause I started displaying the lovely muffin top in my old jeans. I felt ashamed and mad at myself and that’s when I realized I needed to make a change. I realized how depressing shopping was because no matter what the size of the clothes was, I didn’t feel like I looked good. If you feel great in your size 14, 16, 18, or even 20 jeans, then great!- this excuse isn’t for you but if you want to lose weight to be healthy, then do it.

Less than a month ago I was able to fit into my “smaller” size jeans. It was the greatest feeling in the world! Mind you, they aren’t size 6′s or 10′s but I felt as if they were! Trust me, I started off in a very, very bad condition. What experts call “Overly Obese” is where I started off and now I am in the “Obese” category. It’s a hard journey but such a rewarding one.

Some of you may be offended by this post, some may find it helpful, some may find it misleading, and some may find it inspiring. I’m just hoping this may be of benefit to anyone.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Too scared to comment? Email me- info on Add Me page. You don’t have to do this alone, I’m here to help!