Goodbye Deodorant, Hello New Blender!

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted in my blog! I thought this would be a good week since it marks an anniversary for me. Last year on Thanksgiving weekend I met my 75 pound weight loss goal- all thanks to nutritional cleansing. WOW!!! Sometimes I still don’t believe it myself. Since my last post, things have been going well. I’ve dropped another 5 pounds over the last year along with more inches. I actually fit into some size 6 pants, which is incredible since my thinnest in college was a 10.

Honestly though, for a long while now, it has been so much more about feeling my best and teaching my children healthy nutrition. The weight and inches lost are just an awesome bonus. My big motivator is feeling great and wanting to be in good health when my great great grandkids come along…

I have continued to gradually make changes for our family. I enjoy finding new recipes here and there and just tweaking our favorites to make them healthier. All six of us love drinking our protein shakes each day. I also am changing things up to lessen the toxins in our home. One example of this is I said goodbye to deodorant. Well I’ve said goodbye to traditional deodorant and have switched us to mineral deodorant. I enjoy using the roll-on Crystal Essence.

It works well for me, but I am now looking for a natural deodorant that also prevents giant sweat circles from covering my armpits. I’ll keep you updated on my search. Let me know if you have found a natural deodorant that is also a great antiperspirant.

Shortly after learning about toxins and the benefits of cleansing my body at the CELL level, I switched to Tom’s natural deodorant. But then I had an enlightening conversation and learned about the main ingredient in deodorants- aluminum chlorohydrate.

A friend of mine told me about the dangers of this ingredient when she shared her Grandma’s fight against breast cancer.

I am sharing this with you because I think it is so crazy that it is not common knowledge. There have been so many dangers I have become more aware of, and sometimes I wish I was still in the dark. There’s the old saying that “Ignorance is bliss.” Ultimately though, I am thankful to be informed so I can make changes and choices that are best for me and my family’s health.

I also want to share about a new type of blender I’ve discovered. It’s called Fitness Blender, and it’s a fantastic

resource for exercise routines. Exercise has never been my favorite activity, but I am always glad after I do it. Right now, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays are my favorite weekdays because I don’t exercise on those days. While losing my weight last year, I mostly just went on the treadmill for about 30 or 40 minutes, no more than three days a week.

This past summer I started focusing more on toning and strength training routines after my hubby told me about Fitness Blenders. Now he and I work out together 3 mornings each week with Fitness Blender.  

It is a website that you can go to (https://www.fitnessblender.com/) that has workouts for every fitness level and they are absolutely FREE! This site was started by Daniel and Kelli, a husband and wife team, and they are both personal trainers. I love that you can search for any type of workout and specify what equipment, if any, you want to use. They have so many different types of workouts including HIIT, Cardio, Low Impact, Yoga, Kickboxing, Tabata, Pilates, and more. You can also specify the difficulty level and your desired workout time. We access Fitness Blenders on our t.v. using the YouTube app on our Roku. Here are a few of my favorites:

Cardio Workout 33 Minutes

https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos/at-home-cardio-workout-with-no-equipment-why-we-dislike-gym-cardio-equipment

Fat Burning Cardio Intervals- No Equipment 25 minutes

https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos/at-home-cardio-workout-with-no-equipment-fat-burning-cardio-intervals-

Total Body Toning Low Impact Cardio Workout- 30 Minutes No Equipment Needed

https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos/low-impact-cardio-and-total-body-toning-workout

To end this post, I want to share some new before and after photos. Last week I celebrated my 37^th birthday. I had fun finding pictures from 10 years ago. I may be a decade older, but I look and feel younger than ever!!!

One Year Anniversary!!!

      

        One year ago today, Jason and I began our new journey to healthier living. As with all yearly celebrations, I can’t believe a year has gone by!!! I think back to March 15^th of last year and all the feelings I had on that first day. How cool would it have been if I could have sent a message to myself knowing what I know now. So for my anniversary, I thought it would be fun to write a letter to my past self. :) 

Dear Past Jessica,

                First of all…HAPPY 1 YEAR HEALTHIVERSARY!!!  I’m SO PROUD of you!!! Now I know that you are excited and nervous about your first day. You can’t wait to get through the first week just so you know what the next month will be like. You’re going to ROCK this and you have AN INCREDIBLE year ahead of you. I have so many game changers to share with you, but I’ll try to save some for you to discover on your own. I know how much we love surprises. ;)

                This morning you took the dreaded “Before” pictures. I know it was not easy and a bit painful, but trust me; they make the “After” pictures that much sweeter and rewarding. In fact, Mom is going to surprise you with a size 8!!!! swimsuit and it is going to not only fit but look pretty good on you too. Remember to just take it one day at a time.

                Your days will start out differently. You know how you wake up and coax yourself out of bed by planning your afternoon nap? Good news! You are no longer a regular napper! And surprisingly you even have energy left over AFTER tucking the kids into bed. This is thanks to the incredible nutrition and amazing sleep you are enjoying.  

                So I know you have emphatically said, “There is no way I want to drink a shake every day for the rest of my life. But I can do anything for 30 days.” Be prepared to eat your words, literally! You will come to savor every sip of your shakes and look forward to them. They will be the best meal of your day, because they are filled with ALL the daily nutrients you need that food today cannot give you. In fact, EVERY member of your family will enjoy a shake each day. Jaxson, Julianne, Annalee, and Katelyn will REQUEST that you add greens to their shakes!!! You will come to see the shakes as the gift they are and hope you are blessed to keep them as part of your family’s daily nutrition.

Speaking of feeding your family, I know how daunting it is for you to think about changing the way you cook. I’m so relieved to tell you that by the beginning of summer, cooking and eating healthier meals will be your family’s new normal. In fact, cooking healthy is so much simpler that you will feel silly that you were so overwhelmed to tackle that needed lifestyle change. You will get there! Just start making one change at a time. The kids are going to adjust better than you think they will.  One of the best changes when it comes to eating is that you will no longer look for something sweet to eat after every meal. Not only are your daily dessert cravings gone, but you no longer struggle with overeating. You still love to eat, but you enjoy food in moderation. It is not more important to you than it should be.

               

    I debated whether to share these next two changes with you. But keep in mind--- change IS good!!! You have not had any pop to drink for a whole year, and you do not miss it, even a teeny tiny bit!! I know that may be hard to believe because I know how much you LOVE pop. But trust me! Would I lie to you? ;)  Also, your house has been messier in the last year than it has been the past 12 years of your married life. Please don’t be alarmed by this. I know how crabby and uptight you get when things are not where they belong. The new you still prefers your home to be neat and tidy, but you are able to put time with your family over cleaning. Overall, you’re more laid back and this makes you a more patient mom who is not so easily stressed out. What an answer to prayer this is!! Before you know it, the house will stay clean, and you’ll be sad that your kids are not around to make all those messes.

    I hope this letter has been an encouragement to you.  Your quality of life will improve so much and you'll learn so much that you will begin sharing your story with people. You will be blessed as you connect with old friends and make many new friends (Erin, Lyndsey, Cheryl, Tammy, Michelle, Vic, Yoledyah, Anne, Janel, Karen, Marcy and Charles, Tom and Justine, Bobbie and Eric, Judy, and Maria to name just a few). You will love to share the gift of nutritional cleansing. It will be such a blessing to meet new people and be part of their lives. You will pray for them and their families and anticipate how God will use your friendship for His glory. How cool is that?!

      Thank you for investing in future me. I can’t tell you how thankful you will be that you said YES. Enjoy the year before you, and remember I am counting on you. You’ve got this!!!

Love,
Future Jessica

PS. Last Saturday at the park, you crossed the MONKEY BARS!!!

PSS. You have lost 80 POUNDS and 100.75 inches!!! Your BMI dropped from 36.8 (obese) to 24.2 (normal) Enjoy checking out those AFTER pictures below! NO, I didn't photo shop them. And NO you are not an exercise fanatic, but you're holding fairly strong at 3 times a week. :)

Thanks for reading my post today! I hope my story inspires others to take steps toward a healthier future. Who knows? Maybe you and I will be blessed to connect and encourage one another. Even better, if you are open to learning more about nutritional cleansing you can click on the link below to get our FRESH START newsletter. This is a great low pressure way for you to check out the gift that has been so life changing for my family.

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