Caffeine....in a healthy way

The hardest thing for me to give up during my fitness journey is caffeine. My morning coffee with loads creamer and sugar, what helped me get out of bed in the morning. A nice cold Dr.Pepper was heaven when in the afternoon for a quick pick me up, or if I didn't feel good. When I decided to take my health seriously I knew I had to give up my 2 fave things. HOWEVER, I have found the best replacements. I still let myself have a coffee twice a week. I generally chose Saturdays and Mondays. I love to awake up and chill out in my chair with a nice cup of coffee on a Saturday morning, and I don't know about 
y'all but I have a bad case of the Monday's...EVERY Monday, so I allow myself a cup. Instead of using creamer I use unsweetened almond milk, and two packets of Truvia, instead of sugar. It is just as good, and way better for you.  Here is an awesome blog post from one of my fave bloggers Taralynn. She explains the benefits of coffee! 

http://simplytaralynn.com/2014/05/06/benefits-of-coffee-by-running-blogger-courtney-brown/

There really isn't a substitute that compares to my beloved Dr. Pepper...even though I know how awful it is, it will always have a place in my heart. :) I have been trying to drink tea instead. I am one of those weird southerns that HATES sweet tea, so I usually just drink unsweetened. On the days that I do not have coffee, I warm up a nice cup of green tea. Its so soothing and relaxing. And helps you feel better If you are feeling under the weather. I decided to do a little research on the health benefits of Green tea and thought I would share. 

• Weight Loss- The polyphenol found in green tea works to intensify levels of fat oxidation and the rate at which your body turns food into calories.
• Diabetes. Green tea apparently helps regulate glucose levels slowing the rise of blood sugar after eating. This can prevent high insulin spikes and resulting fat storage.
• Heart Disease. Scientists think, green tea works on the lining of blood vessels, helping keep them stay relaxed and better able to withstand changes in blood pressure. It may also protect against the formation of clots, which are the primary cause of heart attacks.
• Esophageal Cancer. It can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer, but it is also widely thought to kill cancer cells in general without damaging the healthy tissue around them.
• Cholesterol. Green tea reduces bad cholesterol in the blood and improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.
• Blood Pressure. Regular consumption of green tea is thought to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.
• Depression. Theanine is an amino acid naturally found in tea leaves. It is this substance that is thought to provide a relaxing and tranquilizing effect and be a great benefit to tea drinkers.
• Skincare. Green tea can apparently also help with wrinkles and the signs of aging, This is because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Both animal and human studies have demonstrated that green tea applied topically can reduce sun damage

Life update

I have been one busy little momma! I have started working a new department at work and working a new shift, started anew bi-term of college courses, trying to live a healthier life style with the 21 day fix, and of course taking care of my sweet little man! All changes in my life seem simple and they are positive changes, but with any kind of change comes stress, and I have been feeling the stress this week ya'll. I have to just remind myself that these changes may be stressful now but in the long run the benefits will worth the stress. Every long, stressful day I go through is Gabe. Everything I do is for him. One thing that I NEED to get in control is my organization. With everything I have going, I feel like my life is chaotic and disorganized. My mission the next few weeks is to de-clutter and reorganize my home, work, hopefully in doing that it will reorganize my mind and how I handle things.

On another amazing note, my fitness journey is going great with a handful of challenges, but if getting fit was easy....we would all look amazing right? I do good during the week. I have a routine, and it works. Then comes the weekend and I am slammed with things that I NEED to do ( ie: clean my house, laundry, homework, church, grocery shop, meal prep), then there are the planned things such as
(parties, get together, holidays, weddings). It is so easy to slip on the weekends and I have been struggling with this. I am not giving up though. Having my shakeology had helped so much.. It taste so good that it feels like I am cheating, but I'm not. I can't explain how thankful I am to have found the beachbody products!!

 So I thought I would share a few pics of what has been going the past few months! We ( University of Kentucky fan... here) run in March Madness!! It was definitely madness in the state of Kentucky.

This is my gang at work!! Love these people! They make going to work bearable! 

Getting ready for the big UofL vs. Kentucky game! Red Vs Blue

We also went to a George Straight Concert!! It...Was...AMAZING in about every way you could think of.

My Man! 

My work also did a Charity fund raiser " Bowl for Kids Sake" . It was a good time for a good cause!

We made shirts

The best part of the last few month is that I became an Aunt!! My sweet niece lives in Kansas with my sister and family, so I haven't been able to afford a trip out there yet. I hate that I haven't been able to hold her yet, but thank God for facebook. At least I can look at her beautiful pictures!! :)