Fit Mom Monday - Guest Blogger: Cortney

Not too long ago, I started posting Fit Mom Monday tips on my Fit & Healthy Mommy Facebook page.  They've been some of my more popular posts.  I love reaching out to moms and sharing fitness, nutrition and wellness updates!  I thought it would be fun to welcome guest bloggers and let other Fit & Healthy Moms share their journeys, successes, recipes and tips with us.

My very first Fit Mom Monday guest blogger is Cortney Blejwas.  Cortney is a mom of two little girls, ages 5 & 2 and she lives in the Anne Arundel County area in Maryland.  She is a very talented photographer and will be soon be certified to teach TurboKick!

I asked Cortney a few questions and here's what she shared.

·      What got you started on your healthy journey, was it before or after having children?
My journey started after having my daughters. Realizing that the way I felt, and looked could be changed if I put all of my will and determination into it, was really what got a fire under my britches. 

·     What are your current fitness & nutritional practices?I workout, one way or another, 6 days a week. My current fitness practice is that I am following TurboFire schedule for the second time, along with throwing in some circuits here and there. My first round of TurboFire deemed amazing results, and I knew I could go even harder my second time. I eat as clean as I can, and I track everything I put into my body. 

·         Do you have any tips you’d like to share?
Going with what I wrote in the previous answer, my biggest tip is to track everything you eat. It doesn’t necessarily mean calorie counting. Now, this is not to say it works for everyone, but simply writing down the type of food/drinks you put into your body will help hold yourself accountable. Another tip I have, and love, is to make it a point to find yourself a support system. There are so many people out there who are willing to be there for you. There are so many willing to be your accountability partner and biggest cheerleader. Debi, from Fit & Healthy Mommy, played a major role in my success, for just being the backbone of my support system.

I first realized I needed to do something about how I felt and looked, after coming back from a family vacation last summer. Consuming typical “camping foods” all of our vacation, didn’t help how I was feeling either. I felt sluggish, more tired than usual, my face was broken out all the time, and I was sick of feeling 10 years older than I was. I knew I had to put everything I had into making a change.

I have known Debi for about 5 years now. I followed her on her journey, and have always been inspired by her amazing ability to make goals and achieve them. I can’t answer why I never thought to turn to her prior to my “ah-ha” moment, but when I did decided that she was the one I needed to turn to, a whole new world opened up. When I first started to get on the working out train, I was doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I was not drawn to her style of instructing. I didn’t click with her way of fitness, and knew in order to be successful I needed to find something I loved. A friend, Sarah, told me to try Turbo Jam. She lent me some of the DVDs, and I was hooked! Cardio kickboxing was the way to go for me, I was certain! 

I wanted to go to one of Debi’s Turbo Kick classes as soon as possible. The gym she teaches at is approximately 40-45 minutes away from where I live. I didn’t, and don’t, care how long it takes me to drive there. Her class is completely worth it. She, and my friend Sarah mentioned I try TurboFire, since I loved Turbo Jam. I knew it was a bit faster of a pace than Turbo Jam, and that kind of excited me. I bought it, and fell in love! It truly was and is my soulmate workout. I have completed one entire 12 week round of the program, and along with eating clean and having the determination, have lost 17 lbs to date and about 10 inches overall. I feel amazing. After my first round, I stopped focusing on weight loss, and started to focus more on muscle gain. That was the best decision I have ever made in this journey. I am doing a second 12 week round and going at it hard core. I am also discovering that I really love circuit style workouts so much. I love to Turbo so much that I am getting certified to teach on March 9^th! Wish me luck! I am so excited for all of the plans I have that will come from having that certification. It is the step in the right direction of where I want/need to be. The biggest thing I learned in my journey so far is that I *can* do this. I have the will. I have the determination, and I *will* get where I want to be in due time.

You can connect with Cortney by visiting her blog, Cortney Kicks and on her Facebook page, also titled Cortney Kicks.

Here's Cortney's Chicken Avocado, Cranberry, and Almond Salad recipe

Makes 3 servings

254 calories

*4oz cooked chicken breast-diced

*2-3 organic celery stalks-chopped

*1/4 cup dried organic cranberries, roughly chopped

*8-10 raw almonds- crushed

*1 avocado-mashed

*1tbs organic mayo or Veganaise

*sea salt

*fresh cracked black pepper

Combine all ingredients and serve in a whole wheat pita pocket or on 3 romaine lettuce leaves.