Did y'all hear about my brand new Peace & Power Fit Camp?! 😍 To start off this new season of Natalie Eskew Fitness, I want to gift the first person who signs up TODAY with the Fixate cookbook and Hosea Devotional from Kristin Schmucker. 🙏🏻
To win: •"Like" this picture •"Share" this blog post. •Email [email protected], so we can find the right program for you. Since you will be making an investment in your product, I want to make sure it's the right one. 👊🏻 •You MUST place your order by 11:59 pm EST tonight. About the group: It's a 5 weeks. The first week is all about preparing and then for the first 4 weeks of your new Beachbody program, I will be right there with you helping you with your meals, motivation, modifications, and congratulations! You will substitute one meal a day with Shakeology and follow the meal plan that comes with your program. By checking in with the group daily, you will be held accountable to the goals you and I set for you. This way all of the bases are covered and you have the best chance for long-term success. Your program and Shakeology will cost less than $5 a day. I am only opening spots for 8 people each month, so it is first come first serve. *Note: This is open only to new customers that are not already working with a Beachbody coach. You must live in the US or Canada.
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One of the things that I find really hard about teaching Calista to feed herself is vegetables. How am I supposed to feed her spinach and romaine and other leafy greens? Broccoli falls apart and she can't do Brussel sprouts. There are only so many green beans the girl can eat. Anyway, I decided to take my Baby Pancake recipe and tweak it to make Veggie Pancakes.
I'm working really hard on gratitude. I'm usually thankful for the obvious blessings I have in my life, like my family, shelter, food, and love. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says "In every thing, give thanks...", so that must mean things like my sore back muscles from carrying Calista all day for a week. It must mean to give thanks for my insecurities and my fears.
If God uses everything for His good, then won't he show me his love in these not so easy moments? Of course. I see how he uses my insecurities to help other mamas not feel so alone. I see how the tools he's given me to overcome my fears can help others. I can see that as much as I'm carrying Calista, He is always carrying me, no matter how much it may hurt him. Then I just want to fall to my knees. Our God never leaves us. He never forsakes is. He is always holding us and only wanting what is best for us. I talked to a couple of new moms yesterday and we talked about the very REAL fear that you will never look like you again, postpartum. I can be logical and positive and tell you how unfounded those fears are, but that doesn't change the fact that I had them and I know so many new moms do too.
The pic on the left is of me at 4.5 weeks postpartum, cleared to workout. I still had to lose about 35 lbs of the 49 I gained. I didn't recognize myself and I sure couldn't move like I used to. I compared myself to a lot of other moms who bounced back awesomely and wished I was one of them. I was plagued by doubt, insecurities, and fear. So, what did I do? I made a game plan. I picked a workout that I knew I could commit to. I made a choice to make my health a priority and to not give up. I surrounded myself with friends who kept me accountable, cheered me on, and lifted me up. I reminded myself everyday that me working on me was the best thing I could do for Calista. Then, my consistency paid off. I did not crash diet or cut out carbs or anything crazy like that. I ate whole, nutrient dense foods; side benefit for Calista since we are still nursing. 😉 I didn't spend hours at the gym. Most days were 30 minute workouts in our back room. I took rest days. I drank a little wine. I had chocolate and cheese; it's my weakness. I lived like a real person, with enjoyment and ups and downs. And mamas, it worked. 🙌🏻 I may not have the most amazing weight loss story ever, but I do have a real one. I worked hard, consistently, with balance, with my health as a priority, and I did not give up. Do I look just like I did pre-Calista? No, but those marks and extra skin are proof that my body can do amazing things and that makes me one blessed woman. I would love to help you on your postpartum journey, even if it's just to cheer you on when you have a bad day. Send me an email if you need a postpartum journey friend or simply tag a friend. 😘 [email protected]. Ingredients:
1/3 cup oat flour (Simply use a food processor to grind oatmeal) 1 tbsp melted coconut oil (I use unrefined) 1 tbsp flax seed meal 1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I use Vegan Shakeology for a superfoods boost) 1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other dairy free option) Optional: 1 tsp of maple syrup Melt coconut oil and add in flaxseed meal and protein powder. Mix. Then add in your oat flour and almond milk to desired thickness. Form into a patty and slice into squares. Place in freezer to harden (less than 5 minutes). Enjoy with some berries and a glass of almond milk. 😍 *Note: If you share with your children, make a double batch. Calista is obsessed. **Note: If you want to learn more about how we get 70 superfoods in Shakeology, shoot me an email, and I'll send you the ingredient list. It's been one of those days... Overslept. Totally based a decision on the wrong information. My fault too. Calista knocked the blender off the counter and it's shattered. Ordered my treat coffee and forgot to say "iced". All small things. No. Big. Deal. Yet, doubts started to creep on. Belief that I wasn't good enough or that I was a failure. So dumb to even read what I'm typing, but here's the thing... That's the devil telling me I'm not enough, when God tells me I am. That's the enemy sending arrows to tear down my walls so that I will stop doing kingdom work. And guess what? Newsflash: He doesn't win. God does. So, it's been one of those days where I know that God loves me. He tells me I'm beloved. He tells me I'm forgiven and enough. He is faithful and He is true and I am good. 🙌🏻
Here's my FB Live video about it. https://www.facebook.com/healthy.strong.happy/videos/1237430146282254/ If you follow me on FB or IG, you've seen a transformation over the last year to two years. I'm not talking about my pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum mom journey. I'm talking about Jesus. :)
A little background on me... I wasn't really raised in a church. We would go for special occasions like Easter and Christmas. I do remember going to Vacation Bible School in elementary school, youth group functions in middle and high school, and maybe church a handful of times in college. I have always believed in God. I have always believed that Jesus died on the cross for my sins. I've always had faith in that, but I didn't walk by faith. I prayed sporadically, said I knew God was in control, but stressed over every detail of my life. I called myself a Christian, but never saw God in every aspect of my life. Here's the thing... There is a big difference in being a part of a religion and being in a relationship with God. I won't get into all of the messy details of my life because this post would be forever long, but let's suffice it to say that I did a lot of things wrong. I've always thought myself a good person, but I've also been a lost one. There are a handful of situations in my life, one in particular, that have made me incredibly ashamed. Shame is a terrible thing. It makes you hide and when you hide, you hide from God. Let's fast forward. After my husband and I got married in 2013, we started trying to get pregnant. I started praying on the regular, and by regular, I think once a day. God knew I needed him, so he really used the 11 months it ultimately took us to get pregnant with Calista. He used those months to turn me to the Bible. He used those months to give me worship songs that continually played in my head. He used those months to move us back home to GA. He made me swallow my pride and my dreams and follow Him. He placed a desire in my heart to find like-minded women, and with that I joined my first ever bible study in December 2014. I had hoped to find women in their late 20s-30s who had babies. What He gave me was a group of women mainly over the age of 60. These ladies changed my life. They indulged my millions of questions. They encouraged my exploration and stumbling through the lessons. The repeatedly reached out to check on me and offer guidance. They changed me. God changed me. I don't know how to truly explain to you how much reading the Bible has changed my life. It has rocked me to the depths of my soul. It's changed my entire world. Yes, I still cry. I still struggle with shame and envy. I still have to battle with my temper and my anxiety. I am still the same, but I am not the same. I have always been loved by God, but now I really know it. I have always been chosen by God, but now I witness His favor. I have always been complete in God, but now I know I don't have to have anything else but Him to be complete. I don't have to earn His love, I have it. I don't have to be better or good enough or successful enough. I am enough. I don't have to be ashamed. I am forgiven and free. I don't have to work hard to make the world love me. He loves me. I don't have to fear the future because I know His plans are so much better than anything I could come up with. So now, I try to walk in obedience. I try to not do what I want to do, but go where He calls me. I pray multiple times a day. I work hard to look around and see everything He has given me, not everything I wish I had. I trust in His plan and His love for me. I am at peace. I can't wait to see how God uses me. He's given me a heart for so many things and I can't imagine what He's got planned. All I know is that it's true. God transformed me. He made me a "new creation". What a blessing! Thanks for taking the time to read a part of my testimony. I want to share more ways that God is making His presence known in my life. I would love to hear how He is moving in yours. As a community of believers, we can change the world. My email is [email protected] and I can't wait to read your testimonies. Love yall! |
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