Age 41 must be the year where I have to face the idea of mortality, how it affects my life and those around me, and how I feel about my own mortality. As if that wasn’t deep enough, I have two little kids who are soaking up everything going on in their mom’s life. While I’m trying to navigate my own feelings, I have to figure out how to gently navigate through their feelings as well.

For those of you who have just recently started following me here, my posts generally focus around health, fitness and nutrition. But, I do a disservice to everyone if I do not touch on subjects in my life that are vulnerable too. The more I coach others and the bigger my following grows, the more I understand that people just want to be understood. So, if you can find something relatable in my words that also helps you in your journey, then it’s worth sharing. As much as I’d like my life to revolve solely around my happy family, my workouts and the Instant Pot, it’s just not that way.

Also, for those just joining here, I lost my best friend seven weeks ago unexpectedly to a pulmonary embolism and my other best friend is fighting for his life in the hospital with stage four pancreatic and liver cancer. This is some deep stuff to deal with all at once (or ever). I’ve tried hard to be sensitive around my kids, but it’s impossible to shield them from the emotions surrounding this. And, it’s also important not to completely shield them from it either. Finding the balance is challenging though.

Yesterday my four-year-old got stuck on the subject of beating hearts. He kept asking us if his heart would beat forever. I tried to explain that you have to take care of your heart and that’s why it’s important to have a good diet and exercise. With both those things, you can hopefully keep your heart beating for a long time. He started getting very agitated and saying that he wanted to have his heart beat forever. All of a sudden, he burst into tears and sobbed into my chest that he wanted to live forever. That’s when I snapped this picture. I happened to have my phone open with the camera on because just minutes before we were taking pictures in a happy moment, right before the tables turned on me.

I really didn’t know what to say. I’m not gonna tell him that we live forever because that’s not true. I told him that he should try his very hardest to live forever, but that even if one day his heart stops beating he had nothing to fear. Just like he has been learning about at school, Jesus would be waiting there for him and he would continue to live forever in heaven and the hearts of those who love him. That led to lots of other questions, most of which didn’t make a whole lot of sense except maybe in the mind of a four-year-old. I quickly changed the subject as it was clear we both had as much as we could take of this conversation.

Later that night as I prayed, I asked God why in the world he was putting all this on me at once. “Why, God, are you making me explain death to a four year old??” It was one of those rare moments when I could actually hear Him answer – “You weren’t explaining it to him. I was explaining it to you.”

I don’t know what lies in the days, months and years ahead. But I’m holding on to the faith that whatever it is I don’t have to be fearful of it. It’s weird how that makes me comforted and angry at the same time. You know?

We finally have some sunshine here in Tennessee! Boy, is it hot but I would choose that over cold any day! Warm weather means more patio dining which I love. The other night I found myself on the patio of a cool little Nashville vegetarian restaurant called The Sunflower Cafe. I was meeting up with some new friends who also are eating a plant-based diet. I ordered this scrumptious vegan barbecue bowl that was made up of brown rice, smoky collards, and vegan seitan barbecue. It was out of this world!! I don’t know how in the world they made that barbecue taste and feel so much like pork, but they did it. Blew my mind!

I got home and immediately starting longing for a repeat of that meal. I tried making the seitan in my instant pot and although it wasn’t a disaster, it was way too chewy. I will have to keep trying on that one. The collard greens was quite a bit easier to recreate, and today I am sharing it with you! These collard greens have NO oil, NO meat, and only a few ingredients. Quick, easy and healthy!

Check out how it’s done here:

I know many of you see my invitations for my monthly challenge groups and think to yourself that your issues with your health and weight go deeper than just committing to an exercise program or meal plan. In fact, exercise might not even be something you can do at this point in your life. It might be instead that the answer to your health obstacles does not start with a dumbbell.. it might start with changing your… MIND!

Your mind can make or break you in every area of your life. It is the thing that gets you going in the morning, helps you excel at your job, helps you deal with your everyday relationships and navigate through problems. But, it can also be your worst enemy. The thing that tells you aren’t “good enough,” “won’t ever succeed,” and “you should just eat everything in sight because what difference does it make it anyway.” It can tell you constant lies about your ability to find change in your life. And, it’s the one thing you cannot escape.

Maybe you know what you should be doing as far as your nutrition, but you consider yourself an “emotional eater” and cannot get a handle on it. Or, maybe you just don’t have the first clue what a healthy diet even looks like. Either way, my company has created a revolutionary program called 2B Mindset that  focuses first on why you are making the food choices you make, and what triggers make it hard to lose weight. Now, wait a minute! Don’t get me wrong! The 2B Mindset can ABSOLUTELY help you lose weight without feeling deprived, counting calories, cutting entire food groups, and even without exercise if you aren’t ready for that. Take a look at this overview of the program:

2B Mindset faces head on the leading cause of weight loss issues and weight management — our relationship with food! Of course exercise is essential for a functional life, but good health truly starts in the kitchen.  The 2B Mindset solution is created by someone who has actually been there and lost over 100 lbs herself using this method. Ilana Muhlstein is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist — the highest standard in the field of nutrition — and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Maryland. (You know I loved her immediately because she is a TERP!) Illana, along with a private success group run by me, will personally help you shift your mindset, helping you to create a positive, healthy weight loss. Ilana’s system is a healthy approach to eating that lets you feel full and satisfied, while arming you with proven strategies that will help you co-exist with food in real-world situations, satisfy cravings, and anticipate setbacks before they happen. This is the key to winning the weight loss struggle!

Here is a little more on Ilana:

This program is simple to follow. You will learn strategies to help you consume more water, prepare and eat wholesome foods and actually enjoy them, and we will shatter the myth that the bathroom scale is your enemy. In fact, you’ll end up loving the scale, because it will become a powerful weight loss tool. Once you take ownership of the program and its principles, it’s yours for life.

One of the first questions I’ve gotten from my existing client base about this program is how Shakeology is integrated into 2B Mindset. Ilana is a huge fan of Shakeology! Because of its high-protein content (17 g), Shakeology can count as the protein for any 2B Mindset meal. One of Ilana’s primary tips for weight loss is for people to have a consistent breakfast. And since Shakeology is easy and quick to make—and tastes great—she chooses it as part of her consistent breakfast every morning. Since it’s a protein, it can also work as part of your lunch, snack, or dinner so it integrates perfectly into every day, and the best news is you get to decide when! And she has so many great ways to enjoy it and make it even more satisfying.

The next question is whether exercise can be incorporated. Absolutely! As I said before the 2B Mindset does not require exercise, but it’s encouraged and it’s considered “extra credit.” Yes, the program focuses on nutrition and weight loss through the foods we eat. But, once you start seeing some real progress with your weight loss, you are inevitably going to want to move in your new and improved body!

So, are you ready to say goodbye, once and for all, to emotional eating, mindless snacking, punishing yourself for indulging on foods you love? If so, 2B Mindset is the answer. Let’s change our MINDS together. I am thrilled to be able to offer this brand new program that is 100% focused on changing your relationship with food. Whether people have 150 lbs to lose or 5 lbs, this program is going to change lives. Beginning May 7th, I will be launching The Mind Shift Success Group on Facebook (secret, completely private group) and I want YOU to be a part of it. With this program and the help of me, your dedicated Team Beachbody Coach, we will master the 2B Mindset! The time is NOW to take control of your life and your MIND! For more information, fill out this form!