Things I'm Leaving Behind in 2017

Here's to a New Year.

2017 was difficult my me and my family. In the past year my husband and I have tried to overcome many obstacles within our personal life and with his own health struggles. Year after year it seems that our relationship is tested and with every overcoming test our relationship strengthens. While we've been so wrapped up in ourselves the year seemed to just fly by and I don't feel as though I accomplished a lot.

It was a quiet year on my blog, as I post little bits and pieces of my own life on this blog I'm not going to start posting about other people or struggles between myself and my husband on here. My husband is an extremely private person and doesn't like to be present on a lot of social media platforms. He's been struggling this past two years with an injury that hasn't allowed him to go back to work and we've been fighting with the insurance company so he can get the best treatment possible.

I've been saying a lot in 2017 "I don't have time for people who wish to bring negative energy to my life", I've been much more choosy about who I've been spending my time with. So here's a list of things I'm trying to give up this year so my family and I can be happier, to help shed the weight on our hearts and to have more peace going forward.

1. Give up the need to impress others
2. Give up complaining
3. Give up the need to control the uncontrollable
4. Give up the need to always be right
5. Give up blaming others
6. Give up excuses
7. Give up negative attachments
8. Give up toxic relationships
9. Give up the saying "I'm too busy"
10. Give up my fears

I'm hoping for a year of lighter hearts, I wish to take more quality time to spend with my family, I want to smile, laugh and do more things that I love but continue to put off because "I'm too busy". It's time to take the focus off of the negative and put more energy into my family. It's time to slow down and enjoy all the positive things in life.

Here's to all the good times ahead - HAPPY NEW YEAR!

What I've Learned Working From Home | Blam Bombshell Fitness

Time Management is Key
I figured I would start with the most important points first.  Without time management I would  be lost with my business. Working from home is both a blessing and dream come true, but it's not something that comes easy for a lot of people. I have no boss, I have no one telling me to be at work for 8 and if I don't show up there will be consequences. I have the luxury to sleep until noon and watch TV all day....but that's not going to help me with my business and it's not going to make me money to pay my bills and put food on the table. Time management is so key in business, it helps keep me on track and achieve my goals for the day.

I like to end my day by sitting down and writing out my next day's detailed schedule. This includes what time I plan on getting up, when I plan on taking breaks, working out, spending time with my family, ect. I write down everything and I assign a time line to my day. I make sure I cover everything I need to do for my business that day.

Then at the end of the day I evaluate what took longer than expected, what took less time, what still needs to be done, what are the most important things to be done and I make a new schedule for the next day. It's sort of a never ending cycle. I wont plan more than one day because you never know what's going to happen day to day. Sometimes I have emergency that will pull me away from my work and some items don't get done so I bump them to the next day.

There are so many fancy ways to plan and make schedules, I guess I'm old fashion because I use a pen and paper to make my day to day schedules. I date each page at the top and I write down my list of what needs to get done that day and I make a timeline. Throughout my day I will check things off as I go and make notes....find what works best for you.

Get Organized
Another key point! Organization is so important, when I'm making out my schedule for the day I give myself very limited time to complete tasks. For example I might only give myself 30min to respond to new customers. If I'm unorganized and I can't find my computer, loose my customer list, forget who's inquired about products it could eat away precision time from my 30min.

I need to be able to sit down and pick up where I left off to maximize my 30min to connect with my new customers and get them connected with products, signing them up for upcoming events, ect.

Moving seamlessly from one task to another will allow me to get the most out of my day.

Take breaks
I'm a workaholic...it's my best and worst skill. I will work and work and work and then realize that it's 1 in the afternoon and I haven't had a glass of water or stopped for a bathroom break all day! It's important for your health, your sanity and your concentration to stop and take breaks.

I found that when I'm at home I get distracted during my breaks so be careful with this. I might say ok between 10 - 10:15 I'm taking a 15min break....but then when I walk away from my computer I notice that the laundry isn't done and then the floor needs to be cleaned and by the time I realize it I've wasted 2hours cleaning my house.

To stop this from happening I'm very specific with my time. Instead of a 15min break I will say 15min snack break or 15min laundry break. If your like me I need to always have a clean house...so since your working from home give yourself some cleaning breaks. I think it's so therapeutic. That way I can work from a nice clean home and still stay on track. Just remember the more breaks you take the longer you have to stretch your work day. Instead of working 8-5 and taking minimal breaks you might work 8-8 but be taking several breaks throughout the day.

It will all balance out in the end, do what works best for you and your family. If you have small kids in school you might end up breaking up your day, for example work 5-7 before your kids get up, then 9-3 while they are in school and then 9-11 when they are in bed (for course you could shorten this by taking fewer breaks).

Working at home is a luxury, take advantage of the opportunity and make a schedule that works for you & your family.




I have to say that I LOVE working from home. For me and my family it is really a dream come true! It really is a gift that I have to take advantage of, these are just a few tips and advice I can give someone either starting out on their work from home journey or someone who is struggling with their current routine.

I would love to hear any advice that you have for me! If you work from home please let me know in the comments below, what have you learned working from home?

June Life Update | Ms Pam Blam & Blam Bombshell Fitness

Hey!

It's been a while since my last life update, June has been just a roller coaster ride of fun, stress and home projects.

If you saw my Facebook or Instagram post from today, I mentioned that I've missed a lot of my workouts this month.

The weather here finally cleared up and my husband & I took advantage of that to start building our fence. This is our first summer in our new house and there are a ton of outside projects we want to get done...but number one on the list was to get our fence up. What we thought would be a simple weekend project turned into a month long project. Let me tell you putting up a 54 foot fence was no picnic. It was a TON of manual labor and being a non stereotypical housewife I pitched in as much as my husband did when it came down to the actual work.

I feel that being a non stereotypical housewife gets me a lot of weird stares thrown my way when we're out working in our yard. People find it very hard to believe that I pitch in as much as I do when it comes to hard manual labor but it just how I was raised...everyone pitches in and helps when it comes to big projects like that.

Our fence is about 90% done, there are a few final touches we need to put on it.

The days that we spend on the fence were long and exhausting. There were many times that I would collapse at the end of the day into bed and fall asleep for a good 12 hours. Working out was out of the questions. But now that we are wrapping up the project I am getting back into the swing of things!

You would also know if you follow me on Facebook that my home business with Beachbody has been very quit. There have been little to no posts on my page and that's of course because my time has been directed else were...but I'm back now! Super excited to gear up my business and run some new online fitness groups!!

Big things are going to be happening in July! It's hard to believe that June is already over but July has to be my favorite month of the year. It's the month that I got married, it's my birthday month, the weather is always hot, there are a ton of festivals and events to go to, plus it's a great time to take summer vacation!

Leave in the comments below...what are you looking forward to in July?



How to Boost Your Metabolism

Naturally as we get older our metabolism will start to slow down. The average women will gain 1.5 pounds per year during her adult life. This can up to an extra 40 pounds by her 50's!

By eating metabolism boosting foods and following the path, you'll sleep better, have more energy, feel firmer, and notice your clothes are looser in as little as 2 weeks. Here's how:

1. EAT ENOUGH 

You need to cut calories to lose weight. But going too low or starving yourself will NOT work in your favorer. When you eat less than you need for basic biological function (about 1,200 calories for most women), your body throws the brakes on your metabolism.

2. REV UP IN THE MORNING 

Eating breakfast will jump-starts metabolism and keeps energy high all day. Women who skip this meal are 4 1/2 times as likely to be obese. If nothing else, grab a yogurt. Or try oatmeal made with fat-free milk and topped with nuts for an essential protein boost.

3. DRINK COFFEE OR TEA 

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, so your daily java jolts can rev your metabolism 5 to 8%—about 98 to 174 calories a day. A cup of brewed tea can raise your metabolism by 12%.

4. FIGHT FAT WITH FIBER 

Fiber can rev your fat burn by as much as 30%. Studies find that women who eat the most fiber in foods gain the least weight over time. Aim for about 25 g a day—the amount in about three servings each of fruits and vegetables.

5. BUY THE BIG BOTTLE 

Drinking 6 cups of cold water a day (that's 48 ounces) can raise resting metabolism by about 50 calories daily—enough to shed 5 pounds in a year. The increase may come from the work it takes to heat the water to body temperature.

Healthy Eating Tips - Do & Don't

Whether you are just looking to make healthy changes in your diet, on a weight loss journey, or looking for some healthy eating tips. Here are some simple Do & Don't for healthy eating that a VERY easy to follow. 

DO eat smaller & more frequent meals a day – smaller & frequent meals will help increase your metabolism & help keep you satisfied throughout the day. Don’t be afraid to snack, just keep the snacks healthy and nutritious

DON’T skip breakfast – your body has been fasting while you've been sleeping, your morning meal establishes a healthy metabolism throughout the day. This is why people usually say “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” and it really truly is

DO drink – drink water. At least 8 cups of water a day to stay hydrated and help keep your stomach feeling full

DON’T drink too much alcohol – there’s a reason why “Beer gut” is a real thing. Alcohol has a lot of calories and they are all empty calories. Save the alcohol for special occasions and be smart about what you choose to drink

DO keep healthy snacks on hand – I don’t know about you but I’m a BUSY person! Running around, work, errands, family, life, it’s easy to give into bad temptations or go for something that’s FAST instead of HEALTHY. Pack snacks in advance and have easy to grad snacks sitting in the fridge just in case

DON’T service super sized portions – even on a clean diet, you don’t need to super size everything. Learn proper eating portions and stick to it!

 

5 Tips on Boosting Your Metabolism

1) Eat just enough so you're not hungry - you don't want your body going into starvation mode so eat three meals a day plus a mid morning and mid afternoon snack


2) Eat Breakfast - jump start your metabolism in the morning and keep your energy up all day


3)Drink tea - the antioxidant in tea can help provide a system boost


4)Drink your water - make sure you are drinking water throughout the day, about 8 cups for the average person


5) Include protein - your body need protein to give you nice lean muscles, make sure you get protein in every meal

21 Day Fix Review

I've had 21 Day Fix since January, now that I've been through the program twice I feel I can give an honest opinion of what I thought of the program. This is an at home workout and eating plan that is made by Beachbody. For those of you who don't know Beachbody has over 20 different workout DVD and before attempting this program I did go through P90X back in October.

You have a few options when purchasing the program, I decided to purchase the "challenge pack". In the challenge pack you will receive the workout DVD's, eating plan, color coordinated containers, shakeology container and a one month supply of shakeology. The one money supply of shakeology is not included in the picture because I and waiting on my next order to arrive.

First off lets go into what the eating plan contains. The eating plan guide will tell you step by step how many calories you should be taking in everyday. Based on your calorie intake you get to eat a specific amount of each color coordinated container. So to give you an example: my calorie intake based on my weight was 1,200-1,499 everyday. What does that mean? I got to eat 3 green containers, 2 purple containers, 4 red containers, 2 yellow containers, 1 blue containers, and 1 orange container. So what does that mean? Well every color of container falls into a food category. For example the green container is vegetables. The eating plan even gives you examples of vegetables that can go into this container: kale, carrots, cucumbers, celery, ect. The eating plan is very straight forward and even includes recipes in the back of the book to help you come up with meal ideas. The theory behind the eating plan is portion control, this is NOT considered dieting. Many people overeat and it can affect your fitness results.

At first when I looked at the meal plan I thought there is no way 1,200-1,499 is enough food I'll starve!!! But to my surprise that was enough food for me, I cut way down on all the snaking I did throughout the day. I enjoyed eating real food and I stayed away from going out for meals, Its amazing how much it affects your body! I'm also big on drinking calories. What does that mean? Well at my office we get an endless supply of coffee, juice, pop, ect. I head to the kitchen about 5 times a day to get something to drink without thinking about the calories I was drinking. Over the 21 days I stuck to drinking shakeology, water and tea only. Now I will say that the first week is tough. Your shocking your body into making a change and my energy level was low. By the end of the 21 days I felt I had more energy and with my weight loss I felt my self confidence go up! Now that I've done this twice I feel amazing, it's hard to describe but I don't feel weighted down by the extra crap I was eating and drinking everyday.

Now the workouts portion. I've done other Beachbody programs before and they didn't work for me. I was really hesitant about this one but I have to say this is my favorite so far! Each workout is only 30min, it was really easy to fit this into my day. I did my workouts everyday after work, I was finished before dinner time! The trainer on the DVD doesn't rush any of the moves and you get breaks in between each move. It was easy for me to follow along, there is a modifier on the DVD and for my 1st round I had to follower her for the 1st week. By week 2 I felt a lot stronger and just followed the regular moves. Now you do need some equipment to complete this program, depending on what you have in your house already you may or may not need to invest so extra money on top of your purchase. All you need is a yoga mat(or some kind of mat you can do floor exercises on) and 2 sets of weight (a light and heavy set).

In 21 days the biggest place I notices a change was my arms. They are more defined and it got rid of my "chicken wings" that I disliked. Over my first 21 days I've also lost 9 pounds with the workout DVD and eating plan. Mostly I get comments that my face looks skinnier but I've also noticed my hips are slimmer. Almost to the point were I need new jeans which is exciting!

For me personally I think this program is amazing but now that I've done it twice I'm feeling a lot stronger and I'm going to be purchasing 21 Day Fix Extreme next!!

If you want to purchase this program you can head over to www.beachbodycoach.com/mspamblam

WATER! How much to drink and why we need it

WATER! It’s an important part of our life. But why is it necessary? How much should be consume day to day? What’s so great about it?

The average person can only live a few days without water, maybe (if your luck) one week. We can live longer without food but water is a must! 75% of you is made up of water. It’s important that as we lose water we replenish it back into our body.

Have you even gotten a bad headache before? How much water did you have to drink today? Being dehydrated can cause headaches so next time instead of popping an Advil try drinking a glass of water instead. There is even research that says dehydration can affect your mood. So if you want to be less cranky drink more water.

Water can even help you lose weight? Your body has a hard time distinguishing between being hungry and thirsty. Sometimes we think we’re hungry but really we need a glass of water. When your body tells you you’re thirsty you’re actually dehydrated. If you’re trying to drop a couple pounds make sure you stay hydrated.

Our skin is the largest organ in our body. Drinking water can actually make your skin glow…and who doesn’t want that? Getting enough water can improve things like color and texture of your skin. There is actually a challenge out there I saw on Facebook. I think it was called the 3 Liter water challenge. If you’re interested go Google it. There are tons of before and after pictures of people who started drinking 3 liters of water every day and they saw drastic changes to their skin!

Now that you know why water is so great for you and what it can do, how much should we consume? A simple question but no simple answer. I was always told 8 glass a day growing up but did you know that there isn’t a set glass amount for everyone. Think about it, what you weight isn’t the same as everyone else. The rule of thumb I like to follow is to drink half your bodyweight in ounces (there are other suggestions out there but this is what I like to try and follow)

Here’s an example if you weight 150lbs 150÷2=75. So if you weight 150lbs then you would need to drink 75oz of water daily.

Are you drinking enough water?

10 Reasons I Became a Beachbody Coach

1) It was a natural fit - I already used Beachbody programs before becoming a coach so it felt like a very natural transition


2) I'm a fitness enthusiast - I've done sports all my life and I love sharing my experiences with others. Since I could walk my parents had me enrolled in all sorts of sports. When I was in elementary I feel in love with running and I still run today. My favorite most memorable job was managing a running retail store. I got to help people fitted with the right tools for their running needs and talk about running all day!!


3) Financial freedom - Beachbody allows me to make extra money in addition to my full time job. It's nice to be able to pay down debt, pay off your house or just save for a rainy day.


4) Company perks - Beachbody rewards successful coaches, and who doesn't love getting rewarded for a job well done? You are also invited to events/conferences that Beachbody holds in different locations, and the best part is your trip is tax deductible


5) Discount on Beachbody products - Since I already use Beachbody products it's nice to get a discount for being a coach. Some people sign up just to get discounts off of the products


6) I get bored easily - What can I say, I like to keep busy. Since moving out on my own I have always filled my time with working during the days, school at night and still getting in time to workout. Now that I'm not in school I find myself getting bored after work. Being a Beachbody coaching keeps me busy!


7) It motivates me to keep up with my workouts - Some days it's hard to find the motivation to workout myself, however, when I am responsible for motivating others to stay active it helps me as well


8) Meeting new people - It's always great to meet new people (both clients and coaches). I love discussing and l promoting fitness, nutrition and a healthy lifestyle


9) Maybe I'll be working from home one day - This is something I've always wanted to do. Tons of Beachbody coaches who have worked hard for the past couple of years are quitting their jobs and doing this full time. There's no reason why I can't do the same...maybe one day this will be my full time job


10) I know that these programs work - Everything posted on this blog is my true honest opinion. I wouldn't post something that I haven't tried or don't like. I've used the programs, I know they work and now I'm sharing them with others.

Try These 7 Exercise Tips

1) Always workout on Monday
Start your week out right, this is more mental than anything. Get week off to a great start!! Continue the trend throughout the week

2) Try to workout in the morning
I know this is easier said than done. I hear you...I am not a morning person, however, when I can drag myself out of bed and workout in the mornings I always feel i have a super productive day. It gets me up ready, awake and energized for the day

3) Never skip two workouts in a row
We all have a life and sometimes our workouts get skipped. It happens, but try not to miss two workouts in a row, this can affect your workout routine for the worse

4) Reward and acknowledge your results (no matter how small)
Make sure you are giving yourself "a pat on the back" as they say, even if you have achieved a small milestone like losing your first pound. It will put yourself in a positive mind set that will make you keep going because you can do this after all

5) Exercise several times a week
It's hard to be active every day but lets face facts, working out once a week isn't enough. Adults are encouraged to try to be active 5 days a week for at least 30min

6) Look for affordable workout 
You do not need to always be spending money when working out. Try something free like going for a run or riding your bike. Get others involved and play football or basketball with some friends.

7) Make exercising more enjoyable
It's proven that if you enjoy something you are more likely to stick with it. If you don't like running then don't run. Find a workout that you like to do. Whether it's going to the gym, buying a workout DVD and doing your workout at home, playing basketball, soccer, baseball, find something that you enjoy!

5 Fintess Things To Try This Weekend

1) Take your family out for a walk


2) Include more fruits and vegetables into your meals


3) Start doing an at home workout


4) Stretch!


5) Fuel your body by eating breakfast, lunch and dinner (no skipping meals)

5 Foods You Should Eat To Loose Weight and Stay Healthy

1) Kale - Kale has so many great health benefits and is very low in calories. Just one cup of kale has 33 calories, 3 grams of protein, 2.5 grams of fiber, vitamin A, C and K. This is great to add to smoothies and juicing or pack yourself a kale salad for lunch.

2) Yogurt - yogurt is a great snack option!! This is a good that has probiotics which is bacteria that can help you reduce the amount of fat your absorb. There are tons of different flavors out there, enough for everyone to find something they like.

3) Fruit/Veggies - another great food that you can take on the go for a snake. Veggies are an easy snake food that everyone should be eating. It's recommended that everyone eat 7 serving of fruit and veggies everyday. A good quick way to make sure your getting enough is drinking smoothies or juicing.

4) Extra - Virgin Olive Oil - this can help lower cholesterol, it contains antioxidant compounds, vitamin E and oleocanthal (which can reduce inflammation). This is great to use in your cooking and is very easy to incorporate. You can also find a lot of recipes for salad dressing which you can add to your kale salads.

5)Dark Chocolate - treat yourself! Just because you are eating healthy or trying to loose weight you can still treat yourself. Dark Chocolate is packed with disease fighting antioxidant, it can help reduce the risk of blood clots and lower blood pressure and inflammation. But remember, everything in moderation. You can eat a couple pieces a day...don't start eating chocolate by the pound and expect to loose weight or stay healthy.