The faith you must have when entering into a new journey is such as this. It develops from a small thought, you think about it, then it grows, and you believe it to be possible. You know it's about to be something more than just a dream you had, more than a thought, more than an idea. That is when you start to plan. The details, the work involved, the time. You then start to prepare with the items it will take to make your journey start to spin and finally you prosper because you have put in the time and the work to finish. When you are all done, you have met your goal, or your dream has become a reality, you realize you didn't do it alone. There is no way you could have possibly known the exact time frame of your idea, your goals or your dreams, however, if you get there at the time you had planned, thank God, because it is his time and only HIS that you will accomplish anything you do in life. There is nothing in this world that you can do alone! You will fail, and continue to do so until you realize you are not in charge. Yes, you are given the idea, but God gave it to you in the first place. HE will decide when it will come to light, if at all. HE will only give you what you can handle and if you don't get to realize the dream, or the idea you had, it's not because you didn't try hard enough, or followed what you thought you were supposed to, it was because HE felt you could not handle it if you did finish that particular thing because it was your idea, not his! So STOP, TAKE A DEEP BREATH, FOCUS, and ask HIM what is it that you are to do next. Once you feel something stir inside, that is the Holy Spirit giving you the answer. It could just be a season of rest, it could be that your now ready to move forward. Whatever it is, PLAN, PREPARE and PROSPER and know that it is only through him that all things are possible! 2 Kings 19:29-31

I wanted to do another blog to just let you know my progress with the paleo lifestyle so far! I have lost about 8lbs in over 4 weeks but more important lost inches, back into my size 4's!!!! I not only eat better, I get my 7 to 8 hours of sleep, I get my exercise at least 5 days a week and most important I wake up each morning and spend time with God! :) With this combination I have felt more energy, more focus and more alive than I have in quite awhile. One of my favorite paleo recipes for breakfast is the Banana Pancakes! So easy with just 3 small ingredients!! Almond butter, banana, and egg!! I will then put blueberries on top instead of syrup!! Yummy!!! The other favorite of mine is the Almond Paleo Protien bars! I have enjoyed sharing my journey with a few friends who have either been on paleo or just starting. It's nice to be a part of a great group that wants to better their lives with 4 keys to life as we know it today! :) Keys To Life: 1. Spend time with God first thing! 2. Exercise at least 3 to 5 times a week. 3. Eat nutritionally sound foods! Respect your body and it will respect you! 4. Sleep at least 7 to 8 hours! Once you get into this pattern and mindset, you will start to feel better and you will see changes all around you. Always be positive in your journey and believe in yourself. You can do whatever it is you set your mind to!!! Thanks for stopping by!

My Thoughts Paleo

I have been trying out this new paleo lifestyle for the past 3 weeks. I am in my last week of the 21 Day Challenge and I have lost 5lbs so far. How do I feel you ask? FANTASTIC!! I have found out that everyone has their own way of finding what works for them. I never thought this would work for me. I never thought I could give up milk, my sweets, cheese ect. but I have realized that I want to be healthier more than I want to have a moment of satisfaction of that junk food. Am I never going to eat it again? Are you kidding me? I feel that if I am on track at least 85 to 90% of the time then the other 10% to 15% will be more forgiving. What I love about this challenge I have done is everything is layed out for me. The shopping list for the week, the meals and the recipes! For me the is huge and I know for many of you that are just as busy it would also be in line with your life should you give this a shot too. But, again, it is entirely up to you on what will work for you. My biggest battle has been nutrition. I can work out like a champ, but eating has always been tough for me. I LOVE food!! Who doesn't right. It's crazy to think people out there have an addiction to food, but at the same time I get it. However, my health is very important to me. I don't want to spend more money being sick when I get older. I want to spend it now on good food. Are you with me? :) That is the short of it. I value your time and as you sit and read this I want you to take away the fact that your the most important person on earth. You are not only valuable to yourself, you are valuable to others and they care about you as much as you should care about yourself! So what will your challenge be?

Do you have a pet peeve?

I like to post quotes. You will most likely see this on my facebook page. I recently started an in home workout group which has been rewarding and also helps me stay motivated. It's not always easy to get to the gym and this is a great alternative to moving those muscles! I provide the workouts and my ladies provide the dedication, commitment, and their own motivation each day! I guess it was 6 years ago I wanted to step into a new career and out of insurance. I have come full circle and now I get to do both. I thought that I would give up Brenda's BootCamp but as I reflect I just am unable to part from it, I do still hold onto Healthy Steps LLC, but Brenda's BootCamp still is active in the background! The future is one that is uncertain but one thing for sure is if I can help just one person in life with fitness and health, then I feel I have a purpose in this field! :) I love my job with insurance too, I love the challenge of getting to the root of someones problem, to help them the best I can and to succeed in getting the best results for them that are in my power of course! :) I am the kind of person who will work hard for someone because that is how I want to be helped too! Customer service seems to be slipping in areas in which we really need them. My biggest pet peeve is calling in and listening to prompts! You have to wait and listen forever to find out which number to hit!! Then you figure it out and once you get to a live person, they transfer you because they are unable to assist you! WHAT?!!??! And you then wait again. Although I don't have all the answers in either of my jobs, I will find out for you!!! :) You relax, you take the moments in life on something you rather do and once I find out, I will call you back, or email!!! That is the customer service I wish was in every business!!! Ok, rant over. What is your biggest pet peeve????

Starting over is never easy, and certainly never fun. You will doubt yourself, wonder if you can do it and surely feel like a failure. That is how I felt last year around this time. I felt like my world was crumbling around me. I was at a point I was really struggling financially and mentally. I loved what I was doing and I wanted to keep doing it but God was taking me on another journey and I had to trust Him and walk in faith. I didn't give up on my training. I got a couple early morning days at the recreation center which helped me and then the one thing I didn't expect to happen was going back into the insurance industry. I reached out to a friend of mine who was still a part of insurance and got a few leads so went after it. I landed in an office that has truly been a blessing to me. I don't doubt for a second why God placed me there. I love what I do and I still get to train. I have been struggling with my nutrition again and actually been slacking in my workouts. I go through this about once a year for some reason. It doesn't last long but it is frustrating. I have been researching again for the best plan and I know everyone is different so one plan may not work as good for another person. So I set out to see what is best for me and I look at cost too, just like everyone, I am on a budget and it seems the next best thing always cost way to much whether you break it down to the day or the month. I know if you workout at least 5 days a week, portion control your foods, cut down your sugars, feed your machine 5 to 6 times a day, drink plenty of water, have your multivitamins along with omegas, you will beat the everyday marketing schemes of the world. So when you do feel like pulling up to have a burger and fries your body will be more forgiving then when you use to do it everyday, no exercise, filling yourself up with sugar in every form and just piling up your plate 2 or 3 times!!! Do you follow me? Once you get on a system, it's harder to break it. Will you stumble? Yes! Do you need to just quit and go back to old habits?! No! Always fight the good fight. Your life is worth fighting for! Find what works for you and tweak it until you are seeing results! Know that it won't happen overnight, it's a process and although it is hard to be patient, slow down and figure it out. I am here to help you if you just need someone to listen without judging. I do understand your struggles and your heartaches, your not alone. Many people out there are sucked into the marketing scheme by tv ads, radio ads, social media ads and even when your in the grocery store, they place all the candy and any item right up front for you to see before leaving. Don't give into temptation, be strong, know what your goals are and look straight ahead because together we can win the war on junk food!!! We can over power it for the most part yet when you do dip your foot back in, enjoy it for a moment, no longer, then pull it back out and keep running fast towards the new you!!! Never be afraid to start over. Don't let the what ifs rule your life. Don't let your fears overcome your victories! If you want something bad enough, you will move mountains to get it right? So start moving those mountains today!!! We Got This!!!! Love to hear your thoughts, comment below. I will be checking in daily and I will be keeping up with this blog weekly to let you know how I am doing, in hopes it will help you know your not alone and we are all in the same boat!

What is the most important?

This is one of my favorite photos with a saying. As we get ready to head into new year everyone, including you, will start to think that this is going to be the year I CHANGE!! This is the year that I am going to make it HAPPEN! We start to get motivated, excited and even childlike as we think about what we are planning on doing. But wait a minute. Do you have a plan? Do you have support? Do you know what you will do if things start to get tough? Do you know that it is going to take hard work in order for your goals to come to reality? I know that you do, but have you wrote it all down? What exactly are the steps you will take in order to succeed? It has taken me four years to nail down the missing piece of the puzzle in my fitness routine. I always thought that I had it all together, yet the results wouldn't last and therefore that made workouts only half effective. Today however, I have been introduced to the best nutritional company out there! I am aligning myself with the best of the best! My personal results are incredible and I still wonder about it. I dropped those last 10lbs in 30 days, but for me even more exciting then that is my body fat. I dropped 11.3% in just 20 days!!! The more research I do the more I find that I am blessed to have such a great product and I get to share it with others. I get to see their results in just 30 short days and I get to coach them through it and touch base with them often which is awesome! I did ask myself all those questions I just asked you. I went a step further and created a vision board. I want to make sure that I do make that change, that I do take the steps needed to fulfill my resolutions for 2014 and my wheels are already moving in the right direction before it's even here! So when you have everything lined out, feel good and put that somewhere that you will be able to look at it once a day! May all the blessings fall upon you this coming year! I would love to hear from you. What are your New Year's Resolutions!? Whatever it is, you have the power to make it happen! Be the change the world needs.

As you reflect on your life, as we all do at some point in our years of living, remember what you have done to this point. My journey has taken a very sharp turn and I know that God has a bigger purpose for me although I don't know yet what it might be. I have been blessed with so many friends and my family to support me in my decisions. It's not easy after 4 years of trying to build my business and have a place to go do workouts and fitness assessment diagnostics, to shut the doors on final time. Now I go out and figure out my next move. I know one thing, my dream is not going to die. It is taking a different path, but I can't see myself doing anything else. I love to see people's tranformations and I love to be a part of it. So I go back to the drawing board and I write down my goals, I make a plan and I start over. This is my do over! Have you ever had one of those? I bet you have and I bet your stronger and so much happier than you ever thought possible. That is my hope when I look back at this time, this obstacle.