Benefits of Staying Active During Pregnancy

When you're pregnant it's tempting to give into {what seems like} never-ending fatigue, but this isn't the time to be selfish. This is the time to think about what's BEST for you and your baby. No one can grow a healthy baby but you. You should take that very seriously and do the best you can. Walk your way to a healthier pregnancy! 

Growing a little one takes a lot of energy. And you know what's proven to give you energy?

No, not the bag of candy that sounds oh-so-good.

Exercise. 

That's right. You have to expend energy to get energy. But that's not the only benefit of exercise. In fact, if you're already living a healthy lifestyle of eating a nutritionally balanced diet and staying active, you should continue doing just that. Don't stop! There are so many benefits to an active pregnancy rather than laying on the couch.

As a runner, it was important to stay active throughout my pregnancy. An active pregnancy has benefits for mom and baby. I especially wanted to continue running. But even on the days where running was a little difficult or I was injured {yes, I bounced back from a running injury DURING my pregnancy!} I still continued to walk! 

I ran the Oklahoma City Half Marathon at 16 weeks pregnant

So even if your body isn't in running shape during pregnancy, walking brings the same benefits.

Benefits for Mom:

• Less weight gain
• Decreased Discomfort
• Mood stability {hellooooo endorphins!}
• Lower risk of gestational diabetes {also dangerous for baby}
• Lower risk of gestational hypertension {also dangerous for baby}

Benefits for Baby:

• Decreased fat mass
• Improved stress tolerance
• Advanced neurobehavioral maturation
• Teaching your baby to be healthy from the start

Being pregnant isn't an excuse to lay around and eat pizza and chips for 9 months. It's actually the opposite. It's the best time to live a healthy and active lifestyle. There's so much you can't control in your pregnancy and baby's development, but you CAN control how active you are. So do what's best for you and baby and get ACTIVE!

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#40DaysofFit

The Lord has been working in my heart so diligently and I'm about to explode with excitement! I've got such an exciting news to share with you!

Starting Monday, January 26th, so this coming Monday, I'm hosting a really great support group called #40DaysofFit. 

Trust me, you do not want to miss this opportunity! The challenge will cover physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual fitness, and will include daily individualized support and group accountability! I'm looking for five more people who are dedicated to making radical changes in all areas of fitness!

The challenge will help you grow stronger in every area - spiritually, relationally, emotionally, physically, etc. - with consistent inspirational videos, emails, and discussions to help 2015 be the best year yet! I have no doubt that this will be one of the best investments you can make in yourself!

So what are you waiting for?! Join me for #40DaysofFit and let's get started! Fill out the form below and I'll give you more information! I'm excited to have you on board!

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The G-Free Decision

People often ask me why I went gluten free. It's simple. I have Multiple Sclerosis, an autoimmune disease. Many autoimmune diseases have been linked to food intolerances, causing "leaky gut". Undigested particles leak into your blood stream and cause a reaction. So when a body has an intolerance or allergy to a food (like gluten for example), the body will have a reaction, and can  cause leaky gut, then later an autoimmune disease.

When I was first diagnosed, I wondered if there was anything I could have done to prevent it or to stop it. I wanted to talk to my future self to see if there was anything I could have done better based on research. Unfortunately that isn't possible. So I began researching lifestyle and nutritional choices that have have a positive effect on those with autoimmune diseases. By the grace of God, Terri, a health coach who also has an autoimmune disease, gave me information and walked me through all the stages of going gluten free.

And I've never felt better.

So what are the differences I've seen?

• My doctors said that because of my MS, I'd likely have permanent damage to my optic nerve, but that has gone away. 
• My hands used to burn (like a sunburn) when I exercised when I ran, but that has gone away.
• I was diagnosed with Raynaud's because my fingers used to be red, while the rest of my hands were a normal shade of peach. But that has gone away.
• Plus other changes in how my body functions

Why do I attribute these changes to being gluten-free? The days I eat something with gluten, I feel the burning in my hands and redness in my fingers. Then after the marathon I began eating regular pizza, donuts and cookies. My eye started messing up again within 3 days, nearly like it did when I was diagnosed. I have no doubt that it was because of the gluten.

Going gluten-free was the best decision for me. I truly feel like this lifestyle change is revolutionary, especially for those with auto-immune diseases! Of course there are some struggles, temptations and critics along the way, but at the end of the day, my body can see and run the way the Lord created it.

Plus I still eat delicious food!

from my instagram

If I could give any advice to someone with an autoimmune disease it would be to go gluten-free! It can be tough, but not as tough as life with an autoimmune disease!

Stay tuned for more tips on going gluten-free!

My #GoalsToGlorify

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I'm not much of a new years resolutioner, but I am VERY goal-oriented. Resolutions are quickly broken, but goals seem more like a promise to yourself. I believe goals are statements of faith that expand your character by challenging you in areas you want to improve. I thought for a few weeks on what my goals would be for the new year, and of course the typical

1. I want to read my bible more often
2. I want to lose weight
3. I want to get healthier

all came to my mind. Those are great goals, but I wanted to dig deeper into my soul to find the areas that really need life-long improvement. I want 2015 to be dedicated to enjoying life like never before, growing closer to Christ, and dedicating my body to His plan for me.

Chelsy on instagram started a #GoalsToGlorify campaign, where we can think about goals that glorify God, so that we may grow mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically… not just physically, which is the foundation of many new years resolutions.

So I thought and prayed that the Lord would reveal to me the areas in which I need the most improvement, so here goes:

These three #GoalsToGlorify will challenge me all year, no doubt. But I'm so excited to see how much I'll grow because of the challenge! Writing them down makes them so real! It's scary and intimidating to set such high goals for myself, especially because I've fallen in these areas so many times before (and I have already slipped up this year). But I want to start focusing and making goals in areas other than fitness. I'm hopeful that the Lord will teach me great things in the upcoming year! I have many other goals that I hope to accomplish this year, but the above are the three are the ones that I want to wholly focus on. And if you're on instagram, it would be awesome to have you join the #GoalsToGlorify campaign!

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Let's chat!

• What do you hope to accomplish in 2015?

If I can't have snow, give me sand!

I've been so busy over the last two weeks that I'm trying to hurry and catch up!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, filled with relaxation, delicious food and lots of love!

This is the first Christmas away from my family, so I was definitely sad to not join in our Christmas traditions. But the beaches and golf courses in San Diego isn’t anything to be sad about, no matter the time of year!

Christmas Eve we drove to Lake Forest, CA to hear the most AMAZING preacher, Rick Warren. I’ve written multiple posts about how Rick Warren has changed my life, so it was such a blessing to hear him in person on Christmas Eve!

Driving through Saddleback was like driving on a college campus. But navigating was pretty easy because we pretty much just followed traffic.

 Before I got out of the car I had to remind myself that I was going to church, not a concert. I couldn't go crazy wild and scream when Pastor Rick came out on stage, and I couldn't cheer for an encore afterwards. Turns out that both of those things required all of my self control.

Walking up to the worship center we saw that the kids had a play area with fake snow and sledding. 

With Christmas lights everywhere, we walked up to the worship center, which was beautifully decorated. 

I nearly hyperventilated as I walked into the worship center. It was really big, seating 1,900 people.

The service began and worship was beautiful, bringing tears to my eyes multiple times. 

Then...

Pastor Rick came out! I grabbed my husband's knee and squealed, as I again reminded myself that I couldn't act like I as at a concert. You'd judge me if I posted all of the iPhone burst shots I took of him.

His message was perfect, as always. 

At the end, the worship team came back out as we sang Silent Night, which is my favorite Christmas song! Then I noticed Pastor Rick pointed to the big window at the side of the sanctuary, so I glanced over and noticed they had fake snow falling outside the building... so precious :)

I may or may not have cried when it was over.

Since it was Christmas Eve we couldn't find a place to eat... until we came across the California staple.

In-N-Out Burger. We have one about 3 miles from where I live, but when in Cali...

Since we were traveling and staying at a hotel, I mentioned to the hubs that this would be my first Christmas without a tree on Christmas morning. But Christmas morning I woke up to my present under the tree.

Seriously, how sweet is he? 

I FaceTimed with my family, 

then drank my annual Starbucks in front of the fireplace (ahem... TV).

The hubs gave me the BEST photo album of my marathon photos! I definitely cried when I opened this.

Then drank mimosas while watching "It's a Wonderful Life," my all-time favorite Christmas movie.

I may have sent my Christmas card out a little late this year...

Then we headed to a nearby golf course.

It may have been Southern California, but it was COLD and I only lasted 6 holes, so I became the official photographer of the round.

It was SUPER cold as the sun began to set, but God painted a beautiful sunset.

This is the view of the ocean from the golf course.

Then we had dinner at a restaurant on the resort's property.

It was a Christmas to remember, that's for sure! I felt so blessed, especially being able to see Rick Warren speak in person. When I was first diagnosed with MS I started to think of all the things I hoped to accomplish while I was still in good health. Hearing Rick speak was one of them. I feel so blessed.

I hope your Christmas was as blessed as mine!

2014 Recap in Pictures {and Numbers}

Happy New Years Eve! I'm super sad that 2014 is over. This year has been one of my best years ever, and by far the best running year. Here are a few of my highlights (both running and in life) in numbers.

In 12 months...

221:15:11 hours running

155,315 calories burned

$7,850 raised for Multiple Sclerosis research

1,253 miles run

141 Rebif shots

33 double-digit runs

21 runs at half marathon distance (13.1 miles) or over

15 (approximately) falls while skiing

14 vacations

3 pairs of running shoes

2 half marathons

2 concerts

1 brother’s high school graduation

1 sister’s wedding

1 year without MS relapse

1 dead toenail

1 marathon

My heart is sad that this year is over, but I have an incredibly strong feeling that 2015 will be even more meaningful and exciting! I have a feeling God has something incredible planned for my life, and that it will begin to unfold this year!

Up next, my 2015 #GoalsToGlorify!

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Let's chat!

• What are some of your favorite moments of 2014?
• What are your New Years Eve plans?