New Venture, Explained

I know that my blog talks a lot about DDPYoga and my journey. I know there are probably a lot of readers who are totally confused at my abrupt change. Let me try to explain a bit, if I can.
First of all, DDPYoga literally saved my life. When I joined the DDPYoga lifestyle, I weighed over 300 lbs. I could not tie my shoes, I got tired after walking less than 100 yards, my feet constantly hurt from plantar fasciitis, and I figured I was "too old" to do anything about my weight, and felt like I couldn't, because of the pain. Fast forward 2 1/2 years, and I attended the DDPYoga Retreat in Cancun, Mexico! I did all but 1 workout. I loved every minute of it. I got feedback from Dallas on my form, and set a personal goal with him at the going away party, (which everyone does!), to lose 30 lbs. in 6 months. He told me it was a pretty aggressive goal but I said yes.  I went home, with newfound energy and commitment, and lost 20 lbs of the 30. Then I was stuck. I was stuck because of something that I choose not to share publicly, but something that I  DID share with my accountability partners, and did my best to work through. Having said that, I lost those 10, about a week before the 6 month mark and proudly emailed Dallas and shared.
 I figured I would continue on and continue to lose, but life and the universe had different plans. My personal life continued to flouder and it floundered in ways that made it really hard to hit my mat, really hard to even find a place to workout with the quiet that I personally need to do DDPYoga. I stopped working out. During this time frame, I also was reminded by a  specialist that not giving my left achilles, which was inflamed, time to heal, meant it would always be an issue. So I rested it. And I ate. 2016 is a banner year in my life, and will never be forgotten. There was good, there was bad, there was "wait, are you kidding me, this isn't my life." But it happened, and it is what it is. It's over.
Fast forward to January of 2017. Every year, I pick a word to live by. I set an intention of living by that word and what it means. This year, I picked PEACE. I wanted to reclaim the peace that I had built in my life, and I meant business. On January 3rd, I joined Weight Watchers. I was so close to 300 at this point that it scared me. I was, however, done playing around, and intent on losing the 30 lbs I had lost with the goal with Dallas, and more. This was it. I decided to do WW and remain gluten and dairy free, as that's how I feel healthiest. At first, I didn't add any exercise in. I just didn't really have time. Our granddaughter lives with us part of the time and is much more fun than Dallas and DDPYoga. :)  I went to the gym sporadically and rode the bike. I even dropped the too-far-from-home-gym and joined 24 hour fitness around the corner from home and biked. A lot. I did that for several months. I lost about 18-20 lbs. Slowly.
In mid-June, a friend posted on Facebook that she was looking for people who wanted to participate in a test exercise group. I answered immediately. "Sure, why not." She folded me into a group of women, who, come to find out, would be active participants in me reclaiming my life even further and realizing how many lies I had told myself about my age and abilities. This was a Beachbody group. I didn't know it at the time, but many of the ladies in the group are my age. Experienced in life, and all with "stories", all different, but all important in who each of us is.
I started to lose inches and pounds. I started working out at home, but I changed it up. I do as many of my workouts as I can in the backyard on the patio. Once the weather cools, I'll move inside, as I do when it's over 90, but for most of the summer, I've worked out on the patio. It's been amazing. Lots of light, sun, soft breezes, and, lately, dragonflies that come back again and again to accompany me on my journey.
It's now the end of August. I'm now down a total of 28 lbs and at least 11.5 inches. I'm due to measure this weekend so I'll have to update once I do that, but suffice it to say, I've had to donate clothes, buy clothes, and tighten my belt a bunch since starting Beachbody.
So what does this have to do with DDPYoga? I'm still a member of the community, and occasionally, I hit my mat and do a workout. I have the app and once in a blue moon I use it. For daily use, I've found that right now, at the health level I'm at, I push myself too hard in DDPYoga for what my body can tolerate, so I've backed off some and am building tone and muscle with Beachbody workouts, but I have NO intention of giving up DDPYoga. None. I just want to build some core strength, ankle strength, and shoulder strength to make my DDPYoga journey more fun and comfortable. For right now? I'm loving Beachbody on Demand as well! I'm a coach, and willing to share if you are interested in what I'm doing, just send me a message and we can chat!
I think that we all have our own fitness journeys. I also firmly believe that fitness journeys are multi-faceted. There is room for so much variety. Biking, hiking, lifting weights, DDPyoga, Pilates, whatever you choose. The most important thing is to keep moving. Don't stop. Keep fighting. Age IS just a number, but if you stop moving, it will be harder and harder to GET moving again. Never give up.
One last thing. You definitely want to keep an eye out here on my blog, because I'm working on a Soul Restoration retreat that will incorporate a few workouts as "tension relievers"!!! It's going to be a blast!!! (there might even be the opportunity to work with an Energy Coach!)
- Have a beautiful day!

Black Bean Brownies.... YUM!!! (Honest!)

This is an amazing recipe! I adapted it from the Minimalist Baker. I thought they needed a bit of oomph, so I added the coffee and cinnamon. They would be incredibly decadent if you also put a few chocolate chips in the batter or even added a few on top of each one when you take them out of the oven!

Black Bean Brownies

INGREDIENTS

1 15 oz. can (~ 1 3/4 cups) black beans, well rinsed and drained

2 eggs 

3 T coconut oil, melted (or sub other oil of choice)

3/4 cup cocoa powder (the higher quality the better, I use WonderCocoa)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup raw sugar (I used 1/3 cup of Palm sugar)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp instant decaf coffee

1/4 tsp cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease a muffin pan (12 openings).

Break eggs into blender or food processor.

Add remaining ingredients and puree - about 3 minutes - scraping down sides as needed. You want it pretty smooth.

If the batter appears too thick, add a Tbsp or two of water and pulse again. It should be slightly less thick than chocolate frosting but nowhere close to runny.

Evenly distribute the batter into the muffin tin and smooth the tops with a spoon or your finger.

Bake for 20-26 minutes or until the tops are dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides. (I baked mine for about 22 minutes on convection, at 325 degrees).

Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes before removing from pan. 

Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. Refrigerate to keep longer.

roasted butternut squash soup

My husband loves the Butternut soup at Whole Foods. However, it’s really hard to come by. Although this soup isn’t quite the same, it does fill the need for butternut soup! And look at the sweet heart in the squash! Loved that. :)

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Ingredients

3 lbs of butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (about ½ inch cubes)

3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 medium Granny Smith apple (about 8 ounces)

2 shallots, peeled and coarsely chopped

8 fresh sage leaves or ½ teaspoon of dried sage

2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable (or chicken) broth

2 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

1/3 cup almond milk

1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place the squash pieces on the baking sheet. Lightly drizzle (or spray, I use a Misto) with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Add the shallot and the garlic cloves to the pan. Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast until knife tender, about 30-45 minutes.
   

   

   
   
3. Meanwhile, peel, core, and cut the apple into medium dice and set aside.
4. When the squash is ready, set the baking sheet on a wire rack until the squash is cool enough to handle.
5. In the blender, combine the squash, garlic, shallots, and cut apple. If you want, (which I do), you can hold back about 1/2 cup of squash and mash it by hand with a potato masher or fork to give a bit more texture. I don't necessarily like it perfectly smooth.
6. Add the broth, water, and measured salt and pepper, and almond milk.
7. Purée the soup until smooth. You can remove the small cap (the pour lid) from the blender lid and covering the space with a kitchen towel (this allows steam to escape and prevents the blender lid from popping off). Alternatively, use an immersion blender. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve garnished with the pumpkin seeds, if using. (It's really yummy that way, but we didn't have any!) I also like to serve rustic bread with it. Yum!