Tate Cares, a Wedding, A Meal Plan and a Giveaway!!!!!

July 5, 2015

I know that you all had a wonderful 4th of July weekend! We did! We got to spend time together as a family, spend time with other family and friends and just relax a little!

Last night, our Sunday School class gathered together at a friends house, and the kids swam while the parents just got to talk. It is so wonderful to be a part of such an awesome group of people who love Christ! We truly fellowship when we are together, and I am grateful for how God has grown our church family over the past year!

This next week is the second time that our church has come together to do Tate Cares. It is a week filled with service projects for our community. They vary from big to small. From very labor intensive to light work. From feeding families to painting band halls. It is a crazy amazing week where we make it a point to love others as God has instructed us to. I am convicted daily and especially since I’ve been digging deeper into the books of 1, 2, and 3 John that love is something I need to work harder at. It’s easy to love those in our close circles, but I want to love more wholly and deeply those I come in contact with. And make a point to seek out new people to love every single day!

And I really want get the boys involved with me as well. Right now, they are my mission field, so I want to show them what the love of Christ looks like in action. Matt and I are the two people in their lives right now that they have the most interaction with, and I want to set and example for them to follow. I say that not to boast about myself or be prideful, but to show them the power of Christ in me!

I am not a compassionate or helpful person by nature (shocker!!! 😉 ), but God has certainly given me the desire to serve Him in a more compassionate way. So! We are going to do a couple of things together this week:

1. Serve Firefighters, Policemen, and Emergency Technicians dinner.
2. Serve lunch to families who are not able to afford food for themselves.
3. Stock bookshelves for a local pregnancy center.
4. Bake cookies for fire department baskets.

None of these things are grand gestures of love, but honestly, it is the small, everyday things that make the biggest impact. Please pray with us this week as there are many other service projects going on in our community! Pray that people would come to know the love of Christ through through this week of service!

So, I know that I keep talking about how crazy our weeks are, and I’m sure so many of you can relate! This week is no different, and I am going to be out of town for the next two weekends!!! I’m so excited about what is coming up, but I want to make sure to stay on top of my nutrition.

This weekend, I will be out of town for my sweet cousin, Lauren’s wedding, and I’m not sure what all will be served at the meals I am attending. But I know there will be options, and I plan to make GOOD choices…but I will plan for a piece of wedding cake!

Sweet Lauren and Aaron

So, my meal plan reflects my meals through Friday. I will be honest that I have not stuck to my Countdown to Competition meal plan to a T, but I have been more focused on it. And when I’m spot on and eat as I have planned, I can tell a BIG difference!!!! I feel stronger, leaner, and my energy level is great! It’s amazing how eating the foods God created for us in their natural form really is all we need to grow stronger! I love that my workouts are better and more efficient, and it is why I will continue to follow this plan through Summit!!!

I have been so encouraged this week by my challengers. One message in particular really blew me away! Amanda started in May with the 21 Day Fix and Shakeology. She has always been a runner, but since she started my challenge group and has cleaned up her eating and incorporated these workouts, this is what she shared:

“I haven’t posted much lately due to the fact that I’ve been training for a half marathon. Well now I can honestly say that this life change ( I don’t look at it as a diet but as a way of life) has helped me immensely. Three years ago I started running as a way to control my weight. It was always up and down. Never to the extreme but I was always heavier than I wanted to be. I immediately lost 20 lbs. I started eating healthy but I would always indulge a little more than I should. My excuse was ill just run it off later. Since I have started the 21 day fix my energy is through the roof. I don’t think I have ever felt this good not even in my twenties. I’m already ahead of goals that I had set for myself training for this half. I am so thankful that I finally broke down and did this. I had been thinking about posting this all week but I didn’t want to sound corny. So to my fellow group members, don’t give up. If you fall today just climb back up tomorrow and keep going.” – Amanda

Image result for she believed she could so she did

Gah!!! How awesome is that???? I literally CRIED when I read that. Not because she can run harder and faster or because she has lost weight, but because sh realized SHE WAS CAPABLE OF SO MUCH MORE!!!!

I cannot tell you how many times I talk to potential challengers or coaches who tell me, “I’m just afraid of failing.” And trust me, I understand! I was so afraid of failing for about six months, I did absolutely nothing!!!! And then I realized that was getting me nowhere really quickly! I was so tired, depressed and lethargic that my family and other relationships were suffering.

I didn’t know when I started my first challenge group if I would fail again or succeed, but I realized I needed to do something. And I’m so glad I did. I have failed a lot, but I refuse to give up when I do. Just like Amanda said above.

What about you? Have you been waiting and hoping for change to happen? Have you been afraid of trying for fear of failing? Are you struggling with health issues you KNOW could be resolved by cleaning up your diet and exercising?

I encourage you to consider joining me in my next challenge group. It is NOT a quick fix or a “diet” program. My goal is to help women who want to truly make a lifestyle change.

I knew that my regular routine of eating healthy, losing some weight, running off and on, and then going back to my old ways wasn’t cutting it.

I needed to change how I viewed eating and exercising and revamp it completely. And I am SO glad I did!!! My health has benefited, my family has, my PMDD (please read this post if you haven’t already!) is almost non-existent!

So, in my next challenge group will focus on 21 Days of change:

Learning to choose more natural and whole foods
Practicing portion control
Incorporating 30 minutes of exercise daily
Preparing healthy, wholesome foods for our families
Planning for our weeks to ensure success
Packing good snacks for vacations, trips to the beach or pool instead of running through drive-thrus and convenience stores
Digging deeper into God’s word and growing closer to Him through this journey

This month, the 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme are still on sale. These programs are SO simple to follow and implement. They leave me NO excuses for not getting on track and staying there. I know that, just like Amanda, you will benefit from participating! These programs work, and I am just your cheerleader along with the other challengers!

AND, to the first 3 challengers who enroll in the group, I am giving away a copy of Autumn Calabrese’s brand new Fixate cookbook!!! This is packed with lots of great recipes that are planned out based on her portion control container system. I am picking these up next week when I go to Summit, and I cannot wait to get one for myself!!!

So! If you’re ready to make it happen with us, click HERE or leave your information below. I have 7 spots available!!! I am so excited to get this July challenge group kicked off!!!

Fill out my online form.

Online contact and registration forms from Wufoo.

xoxo,

Rachel

Tate Cares, a Wedding, A Meal Plan and a Giveaway!!!!!

Tate Cares, a Wedding, A Meal Plan and a Giveaway!!!!!

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