Freedom:: My Life by Design

I am 24 years old & working from home.. there are nine words that I never thought I'd put together.

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As our we develop as individuals and form our lifestyles, the visions we have for ourselves are constantly changing. A handful of years ago, I was convinced that a bachelors degree from the University of Florida was the only option for me after high school. Now, as a 24 year old military wife with two fur babies and a half finished college degree, my vision couldn't be any different.

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For the past few years, I don't REALLY think I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life.. so I accepted whatever came my way and made the best of it. After nannying for a year or so, I started working at a dental office that I stayed at for nearly 4 years. As much as I grew in this position as a young adult, we all know that working an administrative job can cause you to become locked into the confines of business hours and vacation time; these factors, in my life personally, began to dictate the already limited time I had to spend with a hubby who is in and out the door constantly from work-ups, training and deployments. It would have been "easy" to do nothing and adjust accordingly.. that's what we're "supposed" to do, right? My heart wasn't satisfied, I felt like God wanted more for me, and I began to ponder last summer how I could potentially work for myself one day.

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In August of 2014, I found out about the opportunity to become a Team Beachbody Coach. I know now that I didn't fully recognize the potential of "coaching", but saw how entrepreneurship was literally changing the course of people's lives and decided I had nothing to lose. I began the process of owning my own business as a health and fitness coach, with absolutely no experience, but was fueled by the desire to improve my own life and the lives of others. I worked at the dental office during the day, and spent my evenings at home on my computer for several hours creating the beginnings of my organization. I lost out on some time with my hubby before he left for Africa in the fall, but maintained my LONG term vision for my life that was developing:: freedom. Freedom of time and resources. The desire to create a MOBILE business that would COMPLIMENT my life, rather than dictating how I live.

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After nine months of working both jobs through holidays, deployments, travel, etc., I was able to come HOME just last week to work MY business full time. Maybe it's a little bit of a risk coming home this soon before my income is considered to be significant, but real success REQUIRES a little risk and a lot of sacrifice. I am NO expert in owning/operating my own business. I learn something new, often though error, on a weekly or even daily basis. I'm willing to pick myself up through failures in order to create a life by my own design. A life that will allow Nate and I to one day be debt free. A life that will provide my husband the choice of whether or not he WANTS to finish his career in the Navy. A life that allows me to be present with my kids one day. A life that is CENTERED around giving back to God what is His and being a vessel of BLESSING for others.

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Less than a year into my business, I KNOW this is just the beginning for me. BUT, I already have so much to celebrate. Freedom looks a little different for everyone. For me TODAY freedom looks like being able to work on the go when you're traveling with your family to DC for a weekend away. It looks like being a (fur) mom that is able to do more with my little ones on a daily basis. It looks like paying off DEBT- a little bit at a time. It looks like being able to use our resources to bless a family member in need. Ultimately, at this EXACT moment in my life, freedom looks like being able to pick up my husband from deployment without having to stress about it being on a weekday that I would have to coordinate with work. It looks like spending time off to reconnect after 7 months and not stress about using vacation time, because I am in charge of MY schedule.

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You don't have to want to come home and quit your day job or career... You just have to want something, a job you don't dread walking into//avoiding a daily commute//endless opportunity for advancement or income//mobile business//the chance to be proud of what you do//an opportunity to change the lives of people around you, bad enough to work HARD and make sacrifices now for LONG term success.

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One of my deepest desires it to help people, men and women of various life circumstances, have the same opportunity or greater than I have had. I have been blessed to join a top TEN team ((out of 300,000+)) and have access to vital resources from incredible leaders. I would LOVE to share this with you, IF this business is the right fit for you and/or your family. This is a company with serious integrity that is empowering people like you and me accomplish BIG personal goals by crushing self-doubt and limitations. I am proud and honored to be a Beachbody coach. I am determined to serve others while honoring the Lord. And I am COMMITTED to creating a life by design for my family.

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To God be ALL the Glory!

An Open Letter to Myself Pre Homecoming Week

Okay, Lindsey... You've done this a couple of times before, learn from your mistakes. Create a home of love and hospitality. Don't stress and become anxious to the point you'll give yourself a cold sore... oh wait ;)

Your patience has paid off.. you have ONE more check mark on your 30 week count down! It's time for the final stretch.. and your favorite part:: LIST MAKING & ACCOMPLISHING!

So go and make sure your chores are complete::

1. Brazilian Wax

2. Stock Nate's favorite bourbon/beer and grab some cigars

3. Get the truck detailed

4. Clean house and pretend you kept it that way the whole time

5. Put his shampoo, soap, etc. back in the bathroom.. and make ROOM in the drawer by the sink.. you don't NEED every brush, hair tie, make up brush and lip stick in there.

6. Have a freshly mowed yard.. dudes dig that

7. Make a "honey do list" and DON'T HOLD BACK

(kitchen sink, side yard, fence repair, clean garage, master bath and dryer vent)

8. Fill fridge and pantry

9. Clean sheets on bed

Then, focus on your mental prep::

1. The towels in the linen closet do NOT have to be folded/facing the same way

2. Your life does not only revolve around your schedule

3. Practice sleeping on ONE side of the bed

4. The door should be closed when you're in the bathroom

5. Your new sleeping hours probably not his

6. You WILL have to start cooking meals again.. real meals.. like recipes with steps.. Quest bars are not dinner.

7. Be more flexible and willing to go with the flow

8. Shower more.. and act like you don't hate it

9. Remember that you're...... not...... always..... right..... and don't wince when you say it

But first, start praying daily for::

1. patience

2. peace

3. understanding

4. forgiveness

5. humility

6. an appreciative spirit

7. a heart of gratitude

8. gentleness

Try and remember that while you were busy living with your favorite roomie the past 7 months (yourself.. duh), the hubby had to share a converted storage cube with another person every night and a bathroom with countless other nasty dudes... and while he might have picked up some bad habits, he smiled through those circumstances almost every day!

Let the toilet seat up thing slide..  for a couple of days :) Let him choose where to go for dinner. Let him call some shots and welcome his ideas... Make him feel needed and that he is filling a hole he left behind... let him DO. Make him overflow with happiness to be home!

It's time to take a break from a part of yourself that you've become very proud of, but hate having to summon initially. Put away the tough shell and the "I don't need any help" attitude. Know your worth and appreciate your strengths, but lean on your spouse and share responsibility. He is SO innovative, helpful and generous.. REMIND him of that. Don't forget to say thank you and tell him when he's doing a great job. 

Remember how much you missed him during Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Valentines Day, St. Patrick's Day, President's Day, Cinco De Mayo and Memorial Day.. tell him often. Tell him you missed the way he HOGS the water in the shower..  and that you missed the way he waters the flowers when you forget to.. the way he leaves you little notes in the car or in the fridge.. that time he surprised you with a weekend away in DC.. how he researches and plans fun camping trips.. and indulges you on your silly ideas.. the way he wakes up early to let the dogs out on the weekends because he knows you can't fall back asleep.

Remember to unplug and spend focused time with your husband. Thank the Lord daily he came home to you and was excited about it (and while you're at it, pray for the families that didn't get a homecoming). Pray to have a willingness to be a submissive wife that trusts the direction of her husband. Seek GOOD counsel and spend your time with other's wisely. Be a Proverbs 31 woman.

Be a resource to others, rather than a reservoir of blessing.

Thank everyone that helped or even offered to while your better half was away- return the favor.

And stop eating chocolate and picking at your nails the next few days... You'll be glad next week that you took my advice.

Blueberry Spinach Muffins

I'm always on the hunt for healthy, no-guilt treat recipes that are easy to whip up, as I am by NO means a baker. Tonight, I was paroozing pinterest, while standing hungrily in my kitchen post-workout, & found my inspiration for this recipe.

{recipe found here, but my recipe includes adaptations}

My Ingredients:

1.5 C Whole Wheat Flour

2 Tablespoons + 2 Teaspoons of Truvia

1.2 C Unsweetened Applesauce

"Palm-ful" of Fresh Blueberries

1 Large Egg

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 C Fresh Spinach

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Dash of Salt

[[I also ended up using a splash of unsweetened almond milk]]

Directions:

1. Turn on your favorite iTunes station or the latest episode of The Bachelorette.

... THEN, Pre-heat oven to 350° F :)

2. Combine Truvia, Egg, Applesauce, Vanilla Extract, Oil & Spinach in a blender or food processor and give it a whirl! Pour blended spinach liquid into a large mixing bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder & salt.

4. Mix the wet & dry ingredients together with a spatula- the duo will form a thick dough.

**To loosen mine up a bit, so I could fold in my blueberries, I added a splash of unsweetened almond milk.

5. Fold in said blueberries

6. Spoon dough into a greased muffin tin & place in over for 15-18 minutes.

7. Eat a muffin IMMEDIATELY after baking (just kidding, watch out for burning your mouth!). Then, portion the rest of the muffins into baggies so you can freeze or refrigerate the perfect amount.

**This recipe makes about 9-10 large muffins**

If your sweet tooth is super cray-cray & you need to take these bad boys to the next level, try drizzling a small amount of honey or agave while hot!

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think.

Bon Appetit

xo

21 Day Fix {EXTREME} Results and Review

Until the month of April rolled around, I had spent the past 7 months rendezvousing with Shaun T through my journey of weightloss and muscle definition. Hearing terms such as "dig deep," "I'm looking at you now," and "when you feel like you can't do one more, give me 3" became like second nature and I even caught myself saying them to others! ha 

I completed Focus T25 TWICE and then moved on to Insanity MAX 30. After finishing both of these "T" programs, I wanted to continue on with another extreme workout, but was really anxious to commit to another trainer.

Commitment to a celebrity trainer may sound silly to you, but when you get use to the same person's style/voice every day, it becomes another expectation or routine in life!

I had heard great things about Autumn Calabrese and specifically her new 21 Day Fix Extreme program.. I decided to WING IT and placed my order! Beginning the day after Easter, I started my first round!!!

Take a peek at this video and tell me this program doesn't seem AWESOME!

This program is SO successful in 3 short weeks, yes I said 21 DAYS, because of how much it focuses on nutrition. We've all heard before that abs are made in the kitchen, but don't really take that to heart.. if we did, more people would have abs!

Re-learning how to eat was a mental struggle at first. One of the beauties of this program is how STRAIGHTFORWARD the meal plan and food guide is.

You eat whole and everything else is a no go :) Plain and simple.

I even developed this chart to help make my grocery lists during the 3 weeks!

The keys to this nutrition plan were portion control, food categories, when to eat them and how often! Once you got over the initial cravings for processed foods, it was basically a "battle" of telling your brain that it wasn't hungry all the time, but was rather trying to consume food out of boredom or routine! Now to address a concern you're probably thinking about: hunger.

I never felt starving during this program. What was my secret weapon?? Shakeology! ShakeO fits PERFECTLY into this program as a protein option, but also helped with timing my meals, eliminating caffeine and kicking the sweet cravings to the curb.

In regards to the workouts, while they are all intense, there is ALWAYS the option to follow the modifier. I enjoyed how the workouts were structured providing short opportunities for rest after working the muscles to failure. And the 30 minute duration you just CAN'T beat.. there is NO reason that these workouts can't be squeezed in before breakfast, during lunch break, before dinner or while the kids are in the bath at night. The workouts incorporate resistance bands and light/medium/heavy dumbell weights, which really contributes to muscle definition! I appreciated how the week's exercises were laid out and how each day focused on something new: Plyo (jumping exercises), Lower Fix, Pilates, Upper Fix, Cardio, Dirty 30 & Yoga! I'm excited to share that when my mom, who is 50, and my youngest sister, who is 15, came to visit this month, we were all able to do these workouts together!

In 3 weeks, my body felt like a LEAN MACHINE. Goodness, even my insides seemed thrilled because of the cleanse it had just experienced of all processed foods. Overall, I lost 3+ pounds and nearly 4 inches; most importantly to me, I GAINED muscle definition!

I'm so glad I added this program to my collection! I may not always want to start a full 21 day cycle with the strict 7 day workout schedule and regimented meal plan, but I will do them each on their own and maybe even try combining the meal plan with my next fitness program.

If you'd like to chat about whether or not this program may be right for you, please email me at lindseykollar@yahoo.com or find me on Facebook at www.fb.com/LindseyKollarGhoens and send a message :)

Turn your excuses into results.. I'll be there every step of the way!

~linz