But Why?

I get asked a lot why I would still choose to work out every day and aim for clean eating while I'm pregnant. Several friends have said to me "as soon as I'm pregnant again I'm eating whatever I want". I mean we've certainly earned the right havevn't we? For 9 months we grow, swell and ache...and those pregnancy cravings! There's nothing like a 3rd trimester craving for a bacon cheeseburger to make you realize how little it would take for you to cut someone. So why would I deprive myself the opportunity?

The reason why is the same reason I've chosen this non-traditional career path and the same reason I train outside of pregnancy. I push and train because I believe it is important to God that we are stewards of our bodies. Think about it we could have been designed anyway imaginable and it was God's choice that we be an intricate system fueled by food and strengthened by work. Ps. Rick Warren said "God created it. Jesus died for it. The Spirit lives in it. I'd better take care of it." I do the things that are not easy and require discipline because every time we tell our flesh to sit down and shut its mouth we turn up the volume on the Spirit.

Take your eyes off the bathing suit, off the shorts and focus on the heart of this issue. Gluttony and sloth have become excusable sins in the church. We tell our self its not worth the effort because its vanity, and it certainly could be, but the real reason is we think its about image when really its about honor. God doesn't bless dishonor. Imagine with me that you are adrift at sea. As you cry out to God for help you slowly punch poke holes in your raft. After a while the raft deflates and you drown at sea. Was it God's fault you sank? Now imagine with me you cry out to God for more energy, more confidence, to keep you from the heart disease that plagues your family history, as you pop another can of diet soda. God has not abandoned you to this place, we keep popping holes in our raft. You were made for more. You are capable of more.

This is why I do it and its the very reason I spend every day helping other women push too! Because, you friend, are a masterpiece designed with the very DNA of Christ. I do it because I want you to see what we were made to do! We aren't supposed to be pumping our bodies full of toxins, we were not created to manage our life with pills. You are the dwelling place of the most high God and you are worth the effort! If you know for you this battle has to be won in your heart subscribe to email list and I will send you my list of "Scriptures to Sweat By" so that you can begin to pray the word over your journey to health and wellness!

Pray, Sweat, Eat, Repeat. You've got this!

Women, Weight Lifting, and Why You Should Trade in Your Treadmill

Squats, deadlifts, bicep curls... Am I conjuring up visions of women whose veins pop out further than their chest? Maybe you're envisioning large Anglo Saxon blondes teetering on the edge of roid rage. Let me put your mind at ease from the start those women you envision don't hit the squat rack and magically explode into muscle. That takes extreme dedication, a TON of food, and in some of those ladies cases illegal substances. What if I told you that not only would weight lifting unlock something inside your soul but it could be the key to overcoming your weight loss hurdles and getting the body you've always wanted. Don't believe me? Here are 5 reasons you should trade in the treadmill.

1.) Unleash Your Inner Beastette
Is it not the dream of every woman to walk into a room and feel confident? Being a beast isn't about PR's or getting swole, its about pushing yourself. It's about educating yourself, creating new habits and a better version of you. When you take your "I can't" and turn it into an "I must" something happens inside you. Once you see yourself dedicated, disciplined and pushing through it won't matter if you're in a t-shirt and jeans or in your best cocktail dress you're gonna feel like a million bucks.

2.) Become a Calorie Burning Machine
You spend 30 mins on the treadmill and run a 10min mile, you burn 324 calories or so. 30 mins of weight training only gets you a burn of 97. So far it sounds like cardio for the win right? Now what if I told you once you are done your strength training regiment your body continues to burn calories for up to 72 hrs!!! Cardio you continue to burn for only 3-6 hrs. I don't know about you but I like a good deal. I'll take more bang for my buck every time, thank you!

3.) Eat all the food!
I can not tell you how often I hear "I would work out but I just love food too much." Really? Well great pick up a dumbbell and lets get to work. Because you are now a calorie burning machine you'll require more intake. An average daily calorie count for weight loss on a cardio heavy regiment is about 1400-1600 calories. Take the same person and switch the routine for a strength training routine and you're talking more like 1800-2200 calories a day! Divide those up into 5-6 clean eating meals a day and the weight is going to melt a way. So while all your girlfriends are enjoying their carrot sticks you'll be downing clean eating sweet potato fries and getting lean and mean!

4.) Don't just burn fat, but change your body!
Instead of just loosing a little on the scale what if you could reshape your body and be getting rid of that tricep wave wobble. Thought those wide hips are just in the genes and there's nothing you can do? Think again! Not only can weight training slim you down, but it can create new curves and chisel those problems areas. Can we say hello squat booty!! Beachbody Blog says not to worry about bulking up "women don’t have enough muscle-building hormones to gain a lot of mass like men do." 

5.) Better Body From the Inside Out

Weight bearing activities help you to build and maintain bone mass and prevent osteoporosis. Strong muscles help to support your joints and help keep you from injury and can even improve chronic knee and back pain. When I started P90X 5 years ago my knees were terrible, they constantly ached and back pain was like the guest that over stays its welcome. Now after completing multiple strength training programs I can jump I can squat all with no problem and I no longer wake up with back pain so bad I'm unable to move. A study conducted at the University of Wales in Bangor, United Kingdom, found that mildly disabled participants who lifted weights for 12 weeks increased the frequency and intensity at which they could work, with less pain and increased range of movement. 

So now you know what it can do for you but maybe you're still wondering how to start. There are tons of great blogs about simple weight lifting moves and proper form. I would love to help you like I have helped other women learn to love lifting and change their lives. I can provide you with all the nutritional information, a flexible at home fitness program (you don't even have to find a babysitter!!!), and support you need to crush your goals, just email me at moxiemaefitness@gmail.com. All that is needed to succeed is a committed decision! 

WHAT!!! Dude, I did that!! 

5 Fresh Mother's Day Ideas for the Foodie Mom

I have read "The 5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman and I have to tell you that I think there is one missing. I am convinced that the 6th Love Language is food. If you bring me food I just assume you love me. When we go on vacation our trip is primarily planned around the places we would like to eat. I see these Pinterest posts on date night ideas other than dinner and I think to myself "Why on earth would you not want food?" I am sure that this connection between love and food explains why I was the only "thick" sister. So if this sounds like the momma in your life here are 5 fresh ideas for a foodie Mother's Day and best of all they can all be done last minute.

1.) GIFT CARD
I feel like that goes without saying. The trick here is to get creative, an Applebee's gift card is not going to cut it friends. Think of her favorite restaurant, look for a local farm or garden that makes their own cheeses or spice blends. This idea works for every budget and can be picked up quick.

2.) BLUE APRON
This is a great idea for the busy foodie Mom. What Mom wouldn't love 3 meals worth of ingredients and recipes delivered right to their door. We were gifted a weekly box from Blue Apron a few years back and I have to say it was really cool! All of the ingredients pre-measured come in a ice packed cooler right at your door. Our box had an amazing kale and chicken caesar salad which started us on a kick of kale in our salads.

3.) GRAZE

If you've got a crunchy foodie Mom these boxes come pre-filled with 8 healthy snacks for them to munch on. There are 100s of snacks to choose from so you can pick out her favorites. Not sure what she would like you can get a Graze voucher and let her choose for herself. 

4.) CSA SUBSCRIPTION

Nothing says love like a box of local, fresh produce every week. If you are unfamiliar, CSA stands for community supported agriculture. You buy a share of produce from your local family farm and each week they give you a portion of what is fresh, ripe and fabulous. Our local CSA, Fifer Orchards, even gives you the option to add grass feed beef, fresh local eggs and more to your box. This is a pricier option so it'd be good to split amongst some adult siblings! 

5.) COOKING CLASSES

Is your Mom a great baker but not so great with the knife skills or maybe she's a sushi fiend. Sushi making classes, or cooking lessons are a great way for her to do what she loves and to also get out of the house for a bit. If you are in the Salisbury, MD area I suggest calling my friend over at the Country Tart and booking your Mom an in home dinner party/cooking class. Lynn comes to your house with the food and the know how and shows you and 8-10 of your friends how to prepare a meal. 

So this year save your money on flowers she can't eat, and candles she doesn't need. Get her what she really wants...FOOD! 

Act Like You Know

This last Christmas we bought everyone in the house a Nerf gun and had an epic Nerf battle. We later took the Nerf guns with us to my Mother's house and set up a tactical op as we entered the house. They never saw it coming. I was so proud of my self. I had picked a present that everyone could use, it required us to be together and active and everyone really enjoyed it. Do you know where those guns are right now? They are outside in the dirt. I saw them yesterday as I went to the compost bin. And Lord only knows where the darts for the guns have gone to. I was so disappointed! Didn't they know that was a special gift, and thats not how you take care of things!...Don't you know. 

Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman, for she was taken out of man.” Gen. 2: 22-23

What a precious gift you are. How do you think it makes the Father feel when we neglect the gift? I have to imagine it is much like I felt seeing those guns jammed full of dirt. Our bodies are outstandingly intricate. So many things working together just so we can blink. It is our duty to steward all of the intention that was put into our design. He loves you, act like you know. 

Here on Day 2 pray that the Lord would make you aware of His love for you and for you to reciprocate  that love in our actions and choices. 

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Cor. 10:31

Another amazing photo taken by Julia Kellett 

Pray Your Way Thin

Today is the start of a 21 day challenge group I have going that will focus on body image and identity just as much as nutrition and fitness. I think this is the key to a life of health and wellness, as opposed to a moment of success. What a shame it would be to get to the end of journey and be able to lift a barbell but lack the confidence and peace to lift up your eyes.

Emotional wounds can so often block our progress and create wounds that make us doubt our value. Words and curses people have spoken over us we allow to become who we are. I can remember a family member saying to me "she'll always be heavy just like her Dad." I let that bitter, wounded individual wound me. Perhaps there is someone like that in your life. Let me be the voice of reason...What other people think about you is none of your business. What does the father in heaven say?

If I were to owe you $100, and I handed you a $5 bill saying "Here is your $100." would you accept that? I should think not, because you know what everyone knows. I don't get to determine the value of that bill, because I did not create it. Just as you or anyone else does not get to determine your value.

I would love for you to join us on the prayer portion of our journey. Pray this prayer with us, forgive those who have tried to devalue you, ask God to seek out the wounds and heal them. Then move forward prepared to conquer this battle!

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 

Psalms 139:2-3

HUGE thank you to the beautiful (inside and out) Julia Kellett for letting us borrow some GORGEOUS photos for the back drop of these prayers. Go check out her work and blog HERE. 

The Thick One

I grew up in a blended family. I have 3 sisters and 2 brothers. As I grew up my time would be split between two different houses, but wherever I found myself I was always the chunky one. All of my sisters are naturally slender, my biological sister is flat out skinny. I can remember going back to school shopping and hating every minute of it, as I tried on outfit after outfit in the juniors section with no luck. Not only was I thicker than them but I was taller than almost all the girls I knew. Looking in the mirror I looked like some bad SNL joke with buttons stretched tight and hemlines mid-shin. Girls were supposed to love shopping, why did I find this so miserable an experience? I had let my shirt's XL label, define me. I felt like a pair of elastic waisted, stirrup pants remember those in a room full of skinny jeans.

If this is you sweet friend, hear me now. Who you are is enough! If we are created in the image of Christ that means somewhere at our core we have everything we need to be the best that we can be! You were hand crafted, designed, fashioned before there were stars in the sky. If someone had used an unattractive, bulky frame to showcase their Picasso, would it make the art worth any less? Absolutely not! You are valuable, you are beautiful, you are worth the effort.

Even after a 50lb weight loss (thank you P90X) sometimes I forget I'm not a "big girl" anymore...although at 5'10" I'll never really be small. What I do remember is that whether big or small, husky or scrawny I am awesome! And because I am awesome and God took the time to create me with such precision I am worth the effort to stay healthy. My body is a temple and so I will choose to treat it with respect, both in how I handle it and how I speak about it. I will choose to run the race of life with endurance! (Heb. 12:1)

That's me...true story! 

If you're stuck letting your clothes tag, label your heart I want to help you. No more miserable in your own skin. No more negative talk about your vessel. It's time to change your perspective and your body. You can do it, because greater is He that is in you. You are worth it, because you were wonderfully and beautifully made. Comment below to get info on how to join this group, or message me over on Facebook www.facebook.com/moxiemaefitness 

It's time to sow hard work and consistency

and reap confidence and positivity. 

Why turning 29 will be harder than turning 30.

Tomorrow I turn 29. I don't usually make too much of a fuss over my own birthdays. They don't bum me out and neither do they make me excited, its just whatever. Until this morning. I woke up this morning to find out some friends of ours had gotten some great news. I was so excited for them, but it quickly turned into being bummed out for me.  Tomorrow I turn 29...and all of these things I thought I would have accomplished are still just dreams.

I have no bum steer to blame for where I find myself. Its because I am a dreamer and have yet to become a doer. I thought by now I would have opened my own coffee shop and would be, at least, a moderately successful business owner. At this point I would settle for struggling business owner just to see the thing come to life. I thought we would be in the adoption process by now, but with each bleak bank balance I feel like we are further and further away. Its not that I lack vision, its action that eludes me.

I am afraid that this coffee shop that I can see and smell when I close my eyes will be a bust. That this thing I have made so much a part of me will be a flop. So out of fear I don't take any leaps. I have had multiple opportunities slip through my fingers as I am almost paralyzed by the fear of failure.

I can see an adorable little Ugandan or Haitian girl(s) as a part of our freak show. I believe it is what I was born to do, like I believe I need air to breathe. So why don't I already have a savings account set up to plan ahead for paying for the high cost?...lack of action.

As I scan over the landscape of 28 it smells stagnant. Turning 29 is hard because I feel as if I have wasted the 365 days leading up to it. I had a beautiful baby boy and I know I did lots of things so I know its not for nothing, but I didn't really make it something either. 30 will be different. 29 will be the year I rise out of the ashes of inactivity and make it count. My plan is to live enough and work enough and share enough and care enough to make up for 28 and every other year that came before it. 30 will not be this hard!

You see then that a man is justified by works,and not by faith only. James 2:24