"New Years Resolution"

Resolution: To make a definite and serious decision to do something.

     

      We all have a "new year, new me" attitude every year just before new years day hits. So many different ways we all want to change our lives, health, finances, love, etc. Most of us don't succeed. I believe a huge reason why that happens is that we go into it with the wrong mindset, with no research and without a solid plan. Its easy to say, I want to be healthy but knowing the steps to actually succeed is another story. This is the same for any resolution you may have. Here are the top 10 resolutions for 2014.

1. Spending more time with friends and family.
2. Fit and Fitness

3. Taming the bulge

4. Quit smoking

5. Enjoy life more

6. Quit drinking

7. Get out of debt

8. Learn something new

9. Help others

10. Get organized

      All of these are wonderful things to want to change in your life, good news is its all possible! Bad news is most of you won't put the time into it to succeed. Hard truth to hear but its the truth non the less.

      Taking the necessary steps to avoid failing is the only way to ensure your success! I hope I'm able to help point you in the right direction and give you some ideas and tips to get you started on your successful path to a GREAT new year! Like the picture above says, NO MORE RESOLUTIONS. I agree with this 100%! Take health for example. Every year millions of people say "my new years resolution is to lose weight". Thats great, but to resolve something you need to change, understand and make a plan. It then isn't just a I want to do this, its a I have a plan to really change my life.

      I will use health as all of my examples as it is one of the most popular and most interesting to many of you.  I understand that being healthy isn't easy, there are many things out there that contradict one another and it is confusing to even know where to start. There is no simple answer or solution that I can tell to you. Everyones body is different, Everyones health goals are as well and because of that, everyone needs something specific to their own specific needs. With that being said there are basics that everyone should be doing for a healthy lifestyle change and to ensure that your "resolution" will stick. 1. Set a long term goal, 2. Set short term goals to lead you to your long term goal (having small goals makes the long term more obtainable), 3. Research what you need to succeed, 4. Make a step by step plan, 5. Find people to help you if you need the help, 6. Enjoy that process/know there will be setbacks.
Your "resolution" could take weeks/months/years to happen, but if you really want so resolve something like the definition says its a serious and definite action. You give anything less then that and you may fail. I have seen it many many tiny times and I have done it myself. Its only when you take serious action that it will come to happen.

      My example: I started my "resolution" early 2011 when my husband deployed. I had just a small goal and that was to learn to be healthy and lose weight along the way. It was hard, I didn't know where to begin or what to believe. Day by day I researched, went to the gym, ate smaller meals/portion sizes and tried hard to see what worked out for me. As I learned more I lost more, became stronger and gained a passion to learn how/why and what I needed to do to succeed. Fast forward a bit and I get pregnant with our now 10 month old son. During the pregnancy I had to relearn how to be healthy in a new way. After all that hard work I again had to learn more. Tesla is born and almost back where I started. HUGE setback!!! I guess I was lucky enough to have been healthy before. So I start back over again, this time with a new goal. I wanted to compete, I wanted to look amazing and feel amazing, as many of you moms can relate, so I did it. I made small goals each month, researched, planned and in nov of this year 8 months after giving birth (in my case a C-Section) I walked on stage and took 8th place out of 14. It was not easy, but it was worth every missed BBQ, drink, early morning and endless hrs of prep and gym time. If that isn't the definition of resolving something IDK what is. Its almost 3yrs later and I'm still figuring out how everything works, I'm going to school to help train and educate and I'm continuing on my competing as well.

      Health goal example: Long term- A 220 lb person wants to get healthy and lost weight for their family. This is such a general goal and without a plan and the know how most will give up. So lets break that down. These are the questions you need to ask yourself. 1. What is my ultimate goal? 2. What does getting healthy mean to you? 3. Do lbs really matter? 4. What do I need to focus on? 5.How do I learn to eat clean? 6. Will my family do this with me? 7. What do I do to exercise? 8. Do I have a daily plan? 9. Should I make small specific goals to make sure I succeed.  Once you have answered those questions you can start to put a plan into motion. Answers.
1. Your ultimate goal. You need a solid goal not just I want to lose or i want to be healthy. Without a specific goal you will lack direction. "I am a size 16, I want to get down to a size 10, and learn how to eat and workout to continue to increase my knowledge and then re asses my goals. That is more specific then I want to lose weight and be healthy. Now you have a clear goal and you can go from there.
2. Getting healthy to me means eating 5-6 small meals a day, clean foods and learning in the mean time.
3. Lbs are just a number and can be misleading. I need to focus on whats in the mirror and my inches rather then weight. ( so say off the scale…lol )
4. I need to focus on smaller goals, meal prep, educating myself, and making each day count.
5. Clean eating, ask people who have had success, research online, prep meals and always keep learning.
6. Involving your family can make your success faster but isn't necessary, just let them know that this is important to you and to please respect your goals.
7. Again research, ask someone, higher a coach, JUST GET IN THERE, lose the fear that people are watching you because to be honest there are 2 kinds of people 1.no one in the gym that actually is there to workout and be fit really cares about what your doing 2. the others don't know what they are doing in there anyways.
8. If you don't have a daily plan, spend time to make one for the month. Foods, working out, researching, family time, etc.
9. YES, smaller goals will make your larger one more obtainable.

      Its easy to give up because its hard and it takes time but in the long run if u want something bad enough you will take all the time necessary to achieve that "resolution". Its the only way to truly change and to make you "resolution" stick. The questions above can be used to change any part of your life and your goals. Just remember that you need to be serious about the changes you want to make, you need to have a clear goal and and clear plan. If you don't know, ask. Make small goals. If you need support ask for it, if you don't good for you do your thing. Two of the biggest things to remember is to know IT TAKES TIME( another blog to read about taking time ), & LOVE YOUR JOURNEY! I have spent 3 years on my life change and am still going, it won't happen over night and it may be slow progress, BUT its progress. Good luck! 

Updates and School

                                                       Hey everyone!

      As many of you know my husband is deploying again soon:(. We went home for a two week vacation and I went MIA, it was wonderful! We don't get much family time, especially back home with the ones we don't see often. Knowing Chris would be leaving soon we took every moment to enjoy and visit as many of his friends and family as we could before he left. I do apologize for the break in blogs but it was what we needed as a family and for him before he leaves, IM BACK NOW!!!

      An update on school, 3 weeks into school already! Starting with my fitness nutrition certification then personal training and lastly exercise therapy. I have learned so much and can not wait to start my case studies and out my knowledge into motion. I am planning on finishing up all the courses by the end of late spring or summer. I have been keeping a great pace every week, writing essays, listening to lectures, taking tests and prepping for my case studies. Once I'm finished with each certification I'll be taking on clients as they come and doing what I love to do...HELPING OTHERS SUCCEED. Please if your interest in becoming a client of mine and getting your nutrition and fitness goals together feel free to email me at tashakayanderson@gmail.com and we can talk goals and put a plan in place. Until then I wish you all the best and look for blogs on the daily again!

Please for fitness, nutrition and plan info use my gmail account. This account will be my main client account when I start. Thank you all for your time, passion and love!!!

T. Anderson!

After a 2 week vaca with no workouts....I feel soft but still proud I didn't over indulge!

Yay for vacation.

     As many of  you know Christopher will be deploying here soon. We decided to take a vacation home for a few weeks to enjoy family time and thanksgiving! It's been such a wonderful visit so far. We drove from Kentucky to Michigan and had awesome weather! While we have been home booty has been so much more active and I have started school for fitness nutrition, personal training and exercise therapy. So much going on! That's why I have been MIA. With Chris leaving soon we r trying to spend as much family time as we can together, however I will be posting a recipe later today after my studies so you all can get some more delicious ideas! Thanks for the understanding and support! Wishing you all the best.

T. Anderson

There is no thanks in Thanksgiving anymore.

      Over the past few days I have had time to reflect on the week of Thanksgiving and the few days following. Now I know times have changed, people and the world are different but don't you think being polite and being grateful are just NORMAL things people should do. We should be doing these things everyday. When it comes to the holidays we should be even more mindful, grateful, happy and helpful, yet people are rude, mean, hateful and don't seen to care for the people surrounding them. Everyone is in a hurry well before thanksgiving to rush rush and forget to enjoy. I had yet to hear someone when we are out say "excuse me, thank you or oh no it's ok you go right ahead". What the hell is wrong with you all? Being is a hurry in the grocery store and being rude to people won't help you get to the check out line faster and reduce your stress. Plan, enjoy and be mindful of the people around you. Stabbing, tazering and beating people up for parking spots and electronic items is the dumbest thing I have ever seen or heard of! Please tell me how going to jail will help you with your family and holidays......idiots! Please tell me, why don't people just enjoy each other or make homemade gifts? Why is it soooooo important to have the best or try to be better and outdo everyone? Is it worth the stress, the time it takes, and the energy to be that hateful or negative? Why can't we take that time and energy and be positive, "say oh I'm sorry for bumping into you", "wait, you only have that little bit, please go ahead of me ". I can't tell you how many people I said "oh excuses me" or " nope your fine go right ahead". The positive impact that has can make someone's day and yours too. There is far less stress in being positive and taking a few minutes extra to get things done. Don't over plan and delegate if you can't be super person. This world has become a place where Christmas is all about better presents and the best decorations, it even over shadows thanksgiving and no one enjoys that time with each other anymore like they should. Start thinking of other people and less of ourselves.

                                                            Is this really worth it?

Holliday stress, foods, motivation and so much more.

    

            

  With the holidays just around the corner so many are worried about stree, eating, unhealthy foods, traveling, money, hosting, what to make, ontop of so much more. I'm here to tell ya a bit about what may help you relieve some of the stress, try to keep you motivated and let you know DO NOT over think it!

         HOSTING AND FINANCIAL STRESS

      First off let's talk about the stress of hosting and the financial pressure it can hold. If your anything like me, you LOVE to host and you go all out! Hosting and having people over for special occasions is something that can get out of hand tho, financially and mentally. There are a few ways you can try to avoid or lower the stresses of this. Delegate, don't try and do everything yourself. Again if your like me that is hard to do, I like to plan and do everything. You can plan your menu, figure out what you make best, ask your guests what they would be willing to bring and let them know what is in your menu. This will take less time for you in food prep and lower some costs on supplies and food. Once your meal plan is set and you
know who is bringing what you can focus on your portion of the meal and how you want to set it up.
I'm a big homemade fan for most everything, that way I know what I'm ingesting and I can adjust amounts to what I need. If you prep and plan your menu ahead of time it will save you time in the long run. You can divide up when you buy your items. If you have your plan months out each week/paycheck, etc you can buy a little here and there if they are items that will keep, leaving the last minute stuff to get when you need it. Try to use things that you keep around your home to avoid extra costs, look for sales at the store and don't go overboard. Remember delegate and let other people bring things too. Decorating and set up for the holidays can be stressful as well, you want everything perfect (I know I do too). Start ahead of time, plan how you want everything to be and plan where you want it all to go. Do you see a theme here.....PLAN, PLAN, PLAN. Set up whatever you can ahead of time, ask people to bring extra chairs, etc, no need to buy extras when people can provide them. Putting the whole burden on you will set you up for a stressful day, your guests should be willing and glad to help in anyway they can. After all this isn't a time to outdo anyone, or feel like your alone in all the planning, it's time to enjoy one another, help each other and celebrate love, life, family and friends.


                      FOODS AND GUILT

      It's easy to want to pig out when your around family and friends, especially during the holiday's, but if you have a health goal or your trying to work towards one then you need to take a step back and think about what's best for you and your body. "Grazing" all day, having thirds, and every different kind of desert you can find is not the best way to stay on track. Instead if you know your
menu ahead of time think about the foods you love and the ones you can do without, don't eat until
your stuffed and keep your portion size small. Use a smaller plate and eat 5-6 SMALL meals during
that day like normal so your just having a tiny bit of everything you LOVE. More then likely people will encourage you to eat more or say "hey, try this" or "come on, it's the holidays it's ok to enjoy yourself".....well that's THEM not YOU. Do they have your goals, do they look how you want to 

look.....no? We'll then why would you listen to them?!!!!! You are your own person with your own
plan, do not let someone make you feel guily about trying to be better. No one should make you feel
that way, if they try to just tell them, "your more then welcome to have what ever you want but I have my own plan so no thank you". They may or may not understand or get it and that's ok. You know what u need to do, why satisfy someone else's ego or feelings and set yours aside? Learn to say no and stick to it.

            KEEPING A CLEAR MINDSET AND HAVING       

           MOTIVATION THRU THE HOLIDAY'S 

      You may all think yeah sure, easy for you to do and say. NO! It's not easy, yes I do enjoy 
treats, yes I do want to pig out till I'm stuffed, yes I want to try every single thing brought, but do I? NO! Why, because it's not part of my plan. I know it's not what I need to do to achieve my goals. Do what it takes and do what is right for your individual plan. Have a clear plan of 
what you want to achieve going into the holidays, if it's not going to help you, say no! Every time you say no it gets easier and easier, infact start practicing now. Remember you are your own person and letting people dictate what you do is losing control of yourself. Have healthy alternatives at your holiday event in case you feel tempted. Talk about how great you feel 
getting healthy and eating clean, people will listen. Bottom line is DO NOT LET PEOPLE DICTATE YOU GOALS, you are your own person and can make your own choices. 

13 Things mentally strong people do not do!

             STAYING ON TRACK WHILE TRAVELING

      Traveling so something many of us do during the holidays and staying on track is hard to do. Here is a little secret, PLAN.....what's that..... Yes PLAN! If you know when your leaving and what
your doing then you can plan, prep and take the tools necessary with you to make it happen. Simple as that. 

        WHAT ARE THE ANDERSONS DOING

      We love the holidays! This holiday season will be a bit different for us because we have our little addition to our family this year, Mr. Booty! He travels amazing so we r lucky there and he eats the same foods we do so no need to worry about baby food (except formula). We are going to be traveling to Indiana to see Christopher's brother, his family and mom. From what I know this family knows how to eat tasty foods, foods we don't normally eat anymore and while Chris might endulge a bit I however will stay the course. We will be having traditional foods there made from the heart and you all know where that goes....straight to your ASS, LOL! We will be bringing the pies and other treats, homemade of course! We are human too and while we r a little nutty when it comes to eating
healthy we also enjoy here and there. We eat according to our goals and if it's not worth it we don't have it. As tempting as all that food will be, feeling good is an even better feeling! When your mind is clear and focused you will do what it takes, regardless of what the buzz is around you.

     

Its the small things.

      Everyday Chris and I always have great conversations, however somedays one of us is more busy then the other, working late, training, taking care of Tesla etc. This morning we had a few extra minutes to chat and it was such a wonderful conversation! Some days its the small gestures that can make your whole day change! We talked about lots of things but what I took from it was how much we care, love and appreciate one another. We always say we " I love you " and I think we do something to show that everyday, but this morning being reminded just how luck I am to have a husband who is so supportive in everything I want to do, never says no you shouldn't do that, or doesn't believe in me. He is one of the best dads I know because he is always willing to do anything for Tesla. He does what a dad is supposed to do without ever complaining. Im sure he has change more poopy diapers then me, cleaned up so much puke, feeds him everyday and just enjoys every second with him. Today I was reminded how much Chris means to me and to us as a family and today I'm so grateful to have learned that all over again!

Truly Blessed Everyday!

Drinking….and I don't mean water!

      So many people want to commit to losing weight and getting healthy, but don't want to stop or scale back the bad habits that we have. When your ready you will want to cut back….. so until that happens yo yo dieting or giving up will most likely happen sorry to say. I know that sounds harsh but its the truth. If you don't care well then thats fine but if you want it then you need to be committed to change your lifestyle in order to get healthy. Its a saying I hear all the time, "you won't get where you want by doing what you have done", thats the truth!

      Touching base on just one topic today. DRINKING….and no I don't mean water. I have talked to I can't even count how many people about healthy habits, them committing, helping as much as I can and a huge concern most have is consuming alcohol. Many ask "can I still drink and lose weight" and while the answer is kinda of yes its always isn't the right mindset to be in. I am by no means a non drinker, I love drinking wine, I occasionally will have a micro brew beer and I stopped drinking a lot of mixed drinks when I stopped drinking soda. Many of you are social drinkers, still in the "party" phase or for other reasons drink in excess. I am no one to judge because I as well as many others have had my share of those nights/days/weekends etc. When you want a certain goal to get healthy one things that needs to happen is changing those habits as well. Drinking in excess every weekend isn't on that path. Having a drink or two well then thats a better choice! I love my wine with dinner and I drink it when I'm not training, if I feel like beer I have one or two but keep it to that, and while I loved Malibu and Sprite I don't do soda anymore! I made choice when I decided to get healthy that if I'm committed I'm doing it all the way! We all will slip up, there are occasions out there that everyone likes to over celebrate and thats fine but like I said 3 nights a week will not help you achieve your goals. If your working on it in baby steps here are a few ideas that may help you drink less or make better choices.
-Drink less on weekends (less drinks each night, one less night a week)
-Drink mixed drinks with water, not soda or juice
-Choose wine instead of mixed sugar drinks and shots
-Choose a lighter beer and drink less
-Drink less shots
-Choose to make each week better and work on you self control

Again I love my drinks, however I just choose when I want to celebrate and know when to stop because my commitment to healthy living and my family is more important then the fun in the moment drinking, its amazing what you can appreciate when your sober!

Are Children an Excuse...Touchy Touch I Know

Our little Booty!

      Everyone has their own priorities and I understand that, but my opinion on this is, don't use your kids as an excuse on why you cant get something done, why you cant be healthy and why you cant achieve your own goals. Instead teach your kids, learn and grow with them, show them how to be strong independent kids and to grow up to reach their own goals.

      As I have come to realize there are many things that change when you have kids and although I'm no pro, as I only have one child, I would like to think that my life experiences give me some in site on this topic that some of you may not realize but thats something not needed to get into at the moment. A few things that I see and notice, people complaining no time for friends, effort in other aspects of life, health, fitness and so much more. I wanted to address a few of those today and why your kids should not be an excuses to not do things or to say no to the things you want to do.

      Our priorities as parents are different for everyone and it may seem like you are  saying no to your goals, time with friend's, special time with your spouse,  or many other things. Yes this will happen from time to time because family and children should come 1st but why not involve them in the things you always decline? Everyday things and weekend fun will slow down but dosent need to come to a halt. After Tesla was born we were home for a week or so alone to adjust and get on a schedule, after that life was back to our new normal. I took Tesla with me everywhere I needed to go, grocery shop, friends, the gym, house cleaning, had friends over for weekend games, hiked and so on. He has learned to fall asleep without complete silence, he goes with the flow in every situation, when I clean the house we play music and I sing and dance to him while doing it so we are still interacting, if I can't make it to they gym for my cardio... Well then we gear up and do sprints with the stroller. While I cook for Chris and I....I cook for him to and we play with his dishes like they r drums and jam to music. We just went to a NFL game to see the Titans play and took him with us...I truly believe the more you do with the children the more they enjoy the same things, are more easy going to change and are not as fussy in different situations. Even tho Tesla does all this stuff with us, we still have normal play time, he still gets his naps everyday, goes to bed at night and wakes up normal time in the morning, doesn't take a passifier to nap or to sooth, he is always happy, friendly and an all around good baby. Yes he has his moments like every baby but they are few and far between and I really believe his attitude and behavior have a lot to do with how we are on a daily basis. If we were to shelter him, keep it silent in the house, never do things with friends and live different then the way we do then I feel he would have a hard time with change, would need certain things to sooth for bed, would be shy around people he don't know and would not handle other situations well. Remember again this is just my opinion. 

Daddy and Mr. Booty!

      I have noticed (I'm guilty of it as well) that we tend to lose focus on things that were once important to us. Things that we enjoyed and maybe we chose to give up or just forget to do once children come. Example: Effort in our home, in our appearance, in our love life, and our friends.

      Effort in our home, When we have children we tend to let a lot of things go, and while this is bound to happen it does not need to become habit. The first few weeks Tesla was home our home was a disaster, nothing got done, we were to tired and I was recovering from a C-Section. After we got back into the daily grind we started to go back to normal. I knew when T would sleep and while I wanted to, laundry couldn't wait any more, dishes were needed, the floors looked bad, so I found my groove and made an effort each day to tidy things up, do more laundry and make healthy food choices and before I knew it BAM everything was getting done, I was sleeping more and Tesla was being cared for all at the same time. I made a choice to remember the way we lived before, wanted a clean home for T, Chris and I and made it happen! Living is clutter is different then living in filth and if you make it a point to take 2 seconds to put an item away when your done then doing your cleaning will take much less time.

      Effort in you appearance, trying to take the time to get ready is nearly impossible when you have kids but can be done! If you don't care when then….you don't care, but taking a second to put yourself together even if its just a quick fresh pony and some lip stick can make a hugh difference on how you feel about yourself and will help with the next topic I talk about (love life). Taking 10 min to quick brush your teeth, wash your face and spruce up your appearance will make you feel better, will show you spouse you still want to be attractive to them and that you care about yourself. Its not selfish to want to take 10 to 15 min to make you feel attractive, I think its a healthy way to keep your self esteem up.

      Effort in your love life, this goes hand in hand with the above topic (effort in your love life). When you feel attractive, you feel sexy, when you feel sexy, your spouse desires you and although it may never seem like a good time you need to keep that fire going! You need to remember why you fell in love, you need to keep dating your spouse and take that time for each other. sometimes all it takes in just 15 mins to have a good heart to heart to let them know your still thinking of them. Make a date night each month, even if its just at home. Put your cell phones down, rent a movie, play a game, have a glass of wine, spend the night in the bedroom, what ever you feel you need to do to keep your passion for one another there. We lose focus on that when kids are in the mix and when its lost its hard to get that back.

      Effort with our friends, again something we lose track of when children come into our lives. It will happen, many people understand that and know when you have time you will see them. however making it a habit to always say no is a good way to lose a friend, to lose your social life and to make you less happy. There is no reason you can't go to the park, a sports venue, camping, card night, BBQ, ETC with your child if your invited. Pack it all up and go! It will teach the children to be social beings, teach them different activities in life, teach them to be comfortable in different situations and i think be better with other people and not so clingy:). 

      Remember it is ok to say "no not right now", or "maybe another day", but making that a habit I feel is very unhealthy to you, your family and your happiness. We all tend to lose site of the whole picture and focus so much on the child that everything gets swept under the rug, and to be honest while that is most important,

Isn't the whole picture of life, happiness, teaching your child and love just as important?

Balancing Work, Home Live & Healthy Living

      Balancing work, home and health can be hard for many of you. You may feel like you are neglecting some part of your everyday life by spending time doing other things. I can understand that, and I want to help if I can to try and balance your time a bit better. One thing you need to understand is that it IS OK to take time for yourself and not feel bad about it! I truly believe that if you get that small break everyday, week or month that you will be much happier and the things you want to balance and enjoy in life will be much easier to do!

      There are a HUGE and growing number of things that pull us in every direction each day from the morning hassles of waking the kids up, getting ready for work, home stresses, work stresses, fitness, cleaning, reading, sports, school events and so much more. Some things to consider when you have all this going on, you can not do it alone (I struggle wanting to, so I understand) so ask for help if you need, no one is a super human so realize what you can and can not do, and plan ahead so at least you know what each day will bring. Surprises may show up from time to time and you just deal with them as you go. This link Remember it takes time, is to a blog I did earlier that may help you understand how to set you goal and make it happen and you can apply this to your family life, so please read.

      So, how do you go about balancing life as a full time worker and parent while trying to stay healthy you ask? Simple.....well maybe ;). You have to take the time to adjust and make it happen. If your having a hard time now it wont come in a week so lets be realistic and take small steps towards it. If your managing it ok but want some more direction then this may be a bit easier for you. First, you need to lay out your day, what do you do on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Second, what do you want to do on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Do they match up, probably not. So what can you take out that is taking up and using your precious time that you don't need, get rid of it! This is something you need to do as a home or family. Get them involved in the decisions, spouse especially so your on the same page to make the transition easier. Now, PLAN your day, week or month. Pick one day of the week to take an hr or two to plan your week. Know what events are happening, what you will eat ( have a back up plan and prep your foods weekly, make a lot in advance and freeze), how many days you want to workout, if you want a day night and so on. Schedule ME time. If you work early, get home late and have to make dinner, do dishes, get the kids around for bed and feel like there is no time left well then we need to time manage and see what we can do to change that. If your children are old enough give them the task of helping out with dishes, getting clothes around, cleaning up after themselves and get them in the habit of putting their things away so that frees up your time, daily chores never hurt anyone. Get your spouse involved, have he are she help with dinner if they can or pick up the kids. Delegate the duties so the whole burden is off you. If fitness is important to you and you just cant find the time, well thats what your scheduled me time is for. Get up early and go for a run, do some HIIT training at home, get a gym membership to a 24hr gym, wake up early and go (bring things to get ready there or go back home). Join the gym as a family and do it together. Learn and grow together. Make time for the things that are important to you and not what everyone thinks you should be doing. We live in a world where everyone judges on what kinda of things you do and how you spend your time, Example: Fit mom judged, saying she is making bigger women feel bad. Really has it come down to this.....do what makes you happy. Ultimately it comes down to what are you willing to do and what are you doing to achieve your daily goals. If your not planning and making an effort it will be stressful and you may give up. If you plan and get in the habit of a daily system it will be less stressful on you. You need to choose the things you can manage, let the things go that you can't and enjoy your ME time because when your happy, life is much better!

      I know I'm not a working parent at this time so you may not take what I say to heart and thats ok, you may think that I don't understand whats its like to work all day and take care of kids and balance fitness along with it. I think its exactly the opposite! I may stay at home now but I have had so much experience is so many aspects of life and managing time, I have worked 2 jobs and went to school part time at the same time (3 hrs of driving everyday to and from), I have worked full time, volunteered my time and had a social life all at the same time, I have worked full time, trained and managed my home full time, so just because Im home for the moment doesn't mean I don't understand. What matters is that I do what it takes to make the family life happy, me happy and manage my time to be able to. It took me TIME to realize it all and to be organized but once you get into a daily routine, it runs smoothly (most of the time)!

Much Thanks,
T. Anderson

Remember...It takes time.

      Something I want to address today is time. There are so many people out there who either don't want to take the time to reach their goals so they give up, people who expect it to come way faster then it should, people who don't realize that slow progress IS progress and being patient and taking the time is worth every painful, hard, tasty and bitter sweet second!

      I was one of those people  a few years ago so I understand. When Chris got deployed I wanted to lose weight and get healthy but was lost. Didnt know where to start and thought it was never going to happen. I was never an athlete, never a health nut and the gym was a place I didnt feel comfortable in. Then one day it hit me....if you want a goal, and you want it to stick, to last and to live life as you hope to, you NEED to take that time! Time to research, listen, work and prep! Once you realize that you will stop being in a vicious circle of bad "diets", habits and you will finally succeed! Something I have learned over the years of research is that if you don't understand why, you wont learn, you won't get it and you will be more likely to give up. Here are a few things you need to make TIME for to achieve and make it happen, and yes making the TIME to do this is just as important!

                                         
                                       

                                          Taking the TIME to know your goal
                                          Taking the TIME to understand your goals
                                          Taking the TIME to research your goals
                                          Taking the TIME to plan your goals                                                                                  
                                          Taking the TIME to live your goal

Time to know your goals- You need to know your reasons why you want your goal to happen and the desire to make it happen needs to be stronger then just giving up because its easier. Just wanting something isn't enough, you need to know your reasons why....which leads me to

Time to understand your goals- Understanding why you want something will make that goal more realistic and you can put into action the next step!

Time to research your goals- Researching you goals is a great way to know and understand how to achieve what it is your looking for. Having an clear understanding is important. You can either ask someone how to do it, they can tell you and you give up because you don't understand the importance of something or you don't ask how to do something. Everything I have done to reach my goals has been thru my own research, asking questions, taking the time and knowing when to ask a professional! Just asking for the info and not wanting to put in your own time is setting you up to fail I fell, because you don't appreciate that work, time and effort it takes to reach your goals. Once you research then its...

Time to plan your goals- A goal without a plan is again setting you up to fail! If you know everyday what you need to do, if you understand and research you will succeed! Make a daily, weekly, monthly plan to help you succeed!

Time to live your goals- Put your plan into action! Make your goals come true! Surround yourself with people who will help, dedicate their time, and let you live your dream!

2 years later I am about to reach one of my goals....2 YEARS it took me to get where I wanted to be. The only thing from here is to know, understand, research, plan and live out that goal and learn from it, pick another one and run with it! DO NOT give up because its to hard....because yes it will be, but it will be worth it in the end.

Today's thoughts

      Today while on Facebook I came across a story written by Pauline Nordin from Fighter Diet <----Link to article. While some people may dislike her, I however LOVE her no nonsense attitude toward training and dedication! She lives, eats, breaths, sleeps and trains everyday to possess what it is her concept is! She always says "discipline you dedication". When your dedicated no matter what falls in your lap you will do what you have to do to achieve your goal, no motivation needed. Now that people is true dedication. She doesn't have cheat meals, she listens to her body, she fuels her body with TONS of foods, she lifts heavy and she inspires men and women to do the same! She tells you straight up like it is, either like it or don't, follow her or don't and be true to your reason you are dedicating yourself. She has and amazing webpage set up for Fitness and Athletes alike, http://fighterdiet.com. This may be extreme to some people and you may not want to train like her but she has some amazing reads, testimonials, and workouts that will get you thinking. I LOVE following her and reading her articles!

      Take this and apply it to everyday situations! Happy reading, Go like her page and give her some love!!!

Much Thanks!!!
Tasha A.

Web pages I LOVE:)

Here is a list of some pages I love to follow, get e mails from or enjoy for motivational pics!

Seeing other people succeed, helping and posting always gets me pumped to do the same so these are the ones I look at most often! Some of these are not for everyone but they are all great sites!

www.fighterdiet.com -no nonsense approach to eating and healthy life

www.eatcleandiet.com -clean eating guide

http://hungryhappens.tumblr.com -clean eating recipes

www.fullcircle.com -organic one stop shop

www.thegraciouspantry.com -clean eating recipes and info

www.cutandjacked.com -blogs, articles, health and fitness

www.flagnorfail.com -clothing, motivation, DLB

www.staggsfitness.com -personal training and nutrition ( who i use )

https://www.facebook.com/FemaleGymMotivation -motivation

http://www.choosingraw.com -raw recipes and info

http://www.mynewroots.org/site/2011/04/the-raw-brownie-2/ -a TASTY treat

http://www.muscleandfitnesshers.com -women's fitness

A day in the life of.......

    One of the things a few of you asked was what is a typical day like for me. I'll give you a prep day and a normal day so you can see both. The prep day is most important!

      Sunday is usually prep and clean day. If you don't plan and prep you run the chance of slipping during the week or being stressed about time to do things, so to avoid that just make it a point to do it all in one or two days . T usually wakes us up around 630am or so and then the day starts! We get up, I make T a bottle and Chris changes and feeds him while I make our breakfast. We sit, relax and drink coffee for a while and then about 8 ill clean the up the kitchen get ready for the gym and head out for my workout around 830. Once I get back around 10ish I'll eat my next meal and play with T for a bit again. He will take a morning nap maybe around 11 and I'll get to work. So from about 11-2 I'll make my chicken, rice and sweet potatoes for the week. In that block of time while cooking ill eat another meal around 1 and do my dusting around the house along with sweeping and mopping the floors. When the food is done I'll let it set out in containers to cool before putting in fridge. (Since I'm home everyday I just measure out my food when I have each meal. But if you are not and don't have time for that I suggest you measure yours and put them in their own individual containers for each meal each day. When I know I'll be gone for a while I'll pack a cooler and take it with me.) I'll eat again around 4. After that is all said and done from 3 till around 430ish or so I'll play with T some more, hang with Chris, watch football, go for a walk etc. T will take another nap and I'll finish cleaning and prepping for Monday. Example - set up coffee pot, get Chris food around make sure laundry is done and put away, refill all dry goods in their containers (I'm a organizing nut), do dishes and bottles and wipe the kitchen down. Chris will help with T while i do that and then about 8 T will go to bed for the night and Chris and I will relax till we go to bed.

      Monday-Friday is usually the same with maybe a few randoms here and there. Wake up at 5 and get Chris breakfast and coffee. I'll sit and relax for a bit before I get mine around 6. If T wakes up Chris will feed him while i make sure everything is around for the day. If he dosent he usually will be around 630 and then I'll feed home after I eat. T and I will play and relax till maybe 8 or so and he will take a morning nap and I'll blog, email, research, sip on coffee and practice posing. I'll eat again around 9 and pick up the kitchen from breakfast. Between 10 and I'd say 2 ish T and I hang, play, read, practice rolling and all that jazz. I'll eat again around 1. T naps again and I'll again research, email etc and do any left over cleaning. I'll eat again around 4. Chris gets home and I had to the gym, get back around 7 eat again, get T ready for bed, hang plan and relax then eat again around 9. Before Chris and I go to bed I'll prep for him for the next day and pre make coffee hit the timer and go to bed to start all over again. Some days I'll run errands or go to the park, mornings or evenings I tan as we'll when I can fit it in.

      So u see. Every week on Sunday I prep for the whole week (only takes a few hrs) and every night for about not even 30 min I prep for the next day. Never a chance to slip and be in a pickle! I make time for my family everyday and break up prep with time with them or we do it together as a family. No time sacrificed away. Doing it together ensures success! 

      I'd like to hear how you plan your days. What do you do to succeed?!

Commitment and Sacrifice.

      Today I wanted to talk about 2 things that we run into during our path to whatever goal we have,  Commitment and Sacrifice.

     Something Chris always says to me, when your committed to your goals then nothing is a sacrifice. I totally agree with him! You learn to work around, live thru and make it work and eventually it is your everyday normal!

      I can understand and see that some people may or may not agree with that. Some people may think you have to scarifice time. Time with your family, friends and job, but when you surround yourself with the people that can help you who will be there to help you with your goals you will get more time with them! Involve your family! Do it together and again no time sacrificed away from them! If you are truly committed to your goals and you live your life to better yourself and make those goals happen, they will!

      How do you get to that point? You learn everyday, you live everyday trying and you do it one step at a time. Everyday commit time to work on your goals. Schedule your time (30 min to an hr) and make sure you take it everyday.  Maybe its with your morning coffee, when your kid is down for a nap or after dinner when everyone is winding down for the day. Its amazing what you can achieve when you make time for it. Get off FB, turn your ringer off and dont text, have your kids to a little extra around the house to free up time for you. There are 24 hrs in a day and 1 of them should be spent learning how, why and make it happen! After you have a grasp of what your goals are and have them written down its time to plan and put into action! This is where you again commit that time to make it happen! If it's cooking healthy make a weekly meal plan. Grocery shop as a family and learn together as you go thru and read labels so everyone understands. Pick a day or 2 to prep and cook food for the week so you have no reason to fall off track and make bad decisions.  If your used to eating really bad do small healthy adjustments each week so its not overwhelming. Again it becomes an everyday way of life. You can apply this to any goal! Health, nutrition, spending time with spouse, volunteering or what ever you choose.

      So, pick a goal, research, write it down, spend time everyday to make it happen and involve loved ones so you are all bettering yourselves! So you see....when you committed and have a purpose and make the time you sacrifice nothing because your doing it together! If it so happens someone does not understand don't try and make them or get mad for mot having their support. Instead continue to work towards your goals and either they come around or they won't.  If their not accepting or bring you down chances are you don't nees them in your life. If someone is there truly as a friend or family member regardless or not if they do it with you....they will be there for you to support and help you with anything you need.

One last thing. If you don't know how to do something ASK! It will only help you!

Small changes everyday can make a Big difference.

Hi everyone,

      Something I wanted to touch base on today, change. I feel like when people say I want to get healthy or I want this for my goal they do a bit of research realize they need to change things either small or drastic and decide to give up. WHY?! Why give you on something that you WANT, NEED or SHOULD do. What is it...to hard? Well here is my advice. SUCK IT UP hahahah! But serious, you need to learn that where you are and the things you have done have made you that way. You need to make changes to see a difference and get you to where you want to be. No one can have the motivation for you, no one can make you and no one can do it for you. Anyone can try to help and give you the tools to do so but if you do not take the step and make it happen you will never get there plain and simple.

       So what can you do to work towards your goals so it wont be to overwhelming. Do what works for you. What works for me may be the wrong way to go about things. Me, I'm a go getter, cold turkey, make it or break it, I'm gonna do it all right now kinda person. As i work towards my goals i research and find things that make it better, faster and easier. That isn't for everyone. So if small steps work for you, DO IT! Ill just hit on healthy eating because that's what most people are after and have a hard time with. If you are overweight and you goal is to lose weight then you need to re-adjust your way of thinking and what your putting in your body. So small steps. Take a step back and look at what your putting into your body. Make a daily log for a week or two so you can have a hard copy to look at and say man I'm not eating enough, I'm eating way to much, wow that's all sugar, i think i need more veggies etc. Once you see what u can work on, cut out, add and so on u can make a plan. Take it one step at a time. If you Eat out 3 nights a week at a FF joint cut it back to 1 and make smart decisions when you do. If your a soda drinker and do 3+ a day cut it back to maybe a few a week or 1 a day. Do you see the pattern. After a few weeks you will notice a difference. It will become easier to change those bad habits and make good ones! Once you change a few small things and get used to that, start the process all over again! Everyday Research a bit about the changes your making so you can understand why, how and have support and information to help you. Its taken me 2 yrs to get where I am. It will NOT happen over night so you need to realize that! Slow and steady is better then nothing at all and giving up. If set backs would have stopped me i would have stopped when Chris deployed, when we found out about tesla, when I decided to compete again while have a new born and moving half way across the country, while being homeless and eating out of microwaves for weeks while in transition. You have to really want something and want to do it for you. You can not believe how much confidence you can have and how it will change your life for the better. If you have a family do it together! Get everyone involved and get back to being outside, having normal conversations via your mouth and not text, laugh and have fun with everyone. Small changes will make a huge impression on you and everyone around you! 

Again, always feel free to add a comment and ask me anything you want!

How I will set this up and where I intend to take this.

As I am new to this whole thing this will be a growing and learning process so bare with me. 

Blogs will be based on topics: IE Clean eating, lifting, cardio, NPC shows, Post and Pre Baby and so on.

I intend to start doing some video blogs as well touching base on any topic you all would like to see.

I will add sites and links that I find helpful and where I fine info, inspiration, recipes or what ever pertains to the topic.

Please feel free to follow me on here and FB and Twitter as well!https://www.facebook.com/tashakay13. https://twitter.com/TashaAnderson1.

Id love feed back from everyone on what you think. Its important to me to help others succeed and to grow myself as a blogger and as a future nutrition and fitness pro! My motivation for this is not only all of you but my husband and baby boy as well. I want them to be healthy and happy and to teach baby from early life as he grows up healthy habits! Thanks for bearing with me on this new adventure and welcome to my blog!

Tasha 

My goal for this blog

This page is going to be designed to help you and help me succeed in a healthy fitness lifestyle.

Hi, im Tasha.

I am currently looking to get into health and nutrition as well as becoming a PT.
The past few years have taught me many things.
1. How important is is to take care of yourself!
2. Food is not the enemy!
3. Weights at the gym are your best friend!
4. Researching is an amazing tool to grow yourself!
5. Never care what others think and be the positive change you want in your own life.

With all that being said here is a bit about me and how i came to this point in my life.

I have always been a go getter ever sense I can remember. After High school in 2003 I went into hair and had an amazing career at one of the most wonderful salons and spas in Michigan. During that period in my life I had many fluctuations in my weight. I was having too much fun drinking, eating and doing normal things 20 somethings do. Sometime toward the end of 2009 I had a few things happen in my personal life and I decided to life for me to enjoy life as it comes and that 2010 would be the best yr of my life. It was! I traveled to so many places, shopped shopped shopped, ate ate ate and I got married to a wonderful soldier in the U.S. Army and moved to Alaska. Alaska will put on the LB's if you dont watch it! So 6-8 months and 20LBS later i was at my heaviest and Chris was about ready to deploy for a yr. I decided then that he was not coming back to what he had left. Instead i wanted him to come home to a happy new and improved me and i started my way to healthy! Between 2011 and now i have  researched and learned so much about healthy living and fitness that I share with any one who wants and needs help. I lost about 60lbs in the yr Chris was gone and then got pregnant with our 1st (and only) little boy. I stayed healthy during the pregnancy, ate right, worked out and kept researching more and more about healthy living. While I was pregnant Chris won his first NPC physique show and i had to stop training for mine in the bikini devision. Now that we have had baby and moved to a new military base i have started my training again and am now about 70Lbs smaller then my heaviest weight and will compete in my 1st show in Nov! We Both owe the deployment our lives because of it we both are fit, healthy, competitive and love to share our passion with others! Here is to becoming strong in body and heart and to challenge yourself to succeed! I want to help you buy letting you know even a normal everyday person can do it if you have a drive to and you research the positive changes you need to make in life! Feel free to email me anytime with questions! At this moment im no professional but i know what can happen and what work if you have the right tools and people to help!