Core De Force - Try it BEFORE You Buy It!

Super Trainers Joel Freeman and Jericho McMatthews and their Core De Force.

About a year ago Super Trainers Joel Freeman and Jericho McMatthews joined the team of Super Trainers at Beachbody and we knew that something awesome was coming. They have an extensive background in the fitness industry, they have really done everything from group fitness classes, to yoga and dance, to strength training. They are really motivational and have a passion for helping people become their best selves. The wait was killing us though. At this year’s Coach Summit we heard the BIG news! They are launching their brand new program Core De Force on November 1st!!

Just what is Core De Force?

Core De Force is a true Mixed Martial Arts program. It is not choreographed to music, it is straight up fight inspired, fat burning, cardio building, awesomeness. Each workout is broken in to 3 minute rounds, just like a boxing match. During each 3 minute round you will be boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, body weight training, and cardio spikes that will SHRED you and get you on your way to building the body you want. While punching and kicking you will not only be burning massive amounts of calories but each move is rotational which develops your core and shreds the midsection. Since each round is only 3 minutes all you have to do is FIGHT your way through each round and before you know it, you’re done and shredded.

Is Core De Force Advanced?

Core De Force is for anyone, from beginner to advanced. Beachbody has put a modifier in each workout and there are move breakdowns to help you master all of the moves from the jump. 

This program is going to be a great way to get through the Holiday Season getting results with your health and fitness and feeling amazing. One of the benefits of MMA style training is the feeling of empowerment you get as you get more proficient with it. These are not dance, cardio-kickboxing moves. They are the real deal. You will be punching, kicking, throwing knees and combinations and really fighting! 

The holidays are usually stressful but with this program you will not only be getting results but you will be be feeling energized and motivated to get the most out of November, December, and the New Year.

What is included with Core De Force?

What is not included with Core De Force? You get 4 MMA-style workouts, 2 body weight workouts, 2 core workouts, 1 active recovery workout, 1 quick before-bed stretch routine, a quick-start guide, a 30-day calendar, an eating plan, Shakeology and ME as your FREE Coach. We will be running a Test Group for this starting November 7th.

Be among the FIRST to try out CORE DE FORCE!!

There is an exclusive sneak peek of Core De Force on Monday October 24th exclusively for Beachbody OnDemand Users. Cardio, MMA-style, conditioning at its best. I am so excited for this one to come out and I really want you to do it with me. If you are already a Beachbody On Demand User then be sure to check out the Sneak Peek workout on October 24th.

If you do not have a Beachbody On Demand Membership and you are like me and you hate waiting then get a jump-start on your fitness journey in my next Challenge Group by ordering your Club & Shakeology Challenge Pack here.

With the Club and Shakeology Challenge Pack you get:

• Me as your FREE COACH!
• FIXATE Portion Control Containers
• FIXATE Meal Plan
• Access to my next Challenge Group through the Challenge Tracker App 
• Access to endless programs and workouts through Beachbody on Demand 
• Monthly supply of Shakeology Superfood shake. (I recommend the Vegan Chocolate, SO GOOD!) 
• Access to my online Wellness Community

You can also sign up for a free 30 day trial of Beachbody On Demand here!

I am excited to dig into November with you and to hear what you thought of the sneak peek on BOD Monday the 24th!! To ensure you do not miss out on the Core De Force Sneak Peek sign up for one of the options above!

For more information, just fill out this form

6 Years of Marriage

I am so happy to be celebrating 6 years of marriage.

I like to reflect on what was and what is to come.

Many people said, oh your first year of marriage will be the hardest - Lord I wish that was true because our first year was a freaking blast!

Now, I would like to say, your first year of marriage with a child...that will be your hardest.  Zero energy, lack of sex drive, change in lifestyle, no desire to stay out with friends, waking up in a bath of your own breastmilk...oh yes, so sexy ;)  Don't I make it all sound fun!!!!???

After Brae was born, it was no joke how much of a mess I was emotionally.  Neal has been a true man of God and has been such a constant. He never gets mad, he never yells, he never does anything but try to lift me up.  Ladies, I'm a very very lucky woman, I know!

As we hit our 6 years, I will say things have been SO much better between year 5 and 6 than they were between 4 and 5!  I cannot thank my husband enough for his genuine support and love as I transitioned from stressed out full time worker to full-time mom-entreprenuer!

This man right here, he's my rock.  Together we teach each other to dream bigger.  To believe in ourselves.  To think highly of ourselves and others.  To attend church regularly.  To be loving towards each other always.  To work by our actions and words to show love so Braelyn will know what that looks like.

Are we perfect?  ABSOLUTELY NOT!  I still have those bad moments of massive self-doubt and huge hormonal fits of anger, but I can truly say Neal is the perfect match for the balance of life.

Here's to 60+ more years of marriage together Nuzzle Bug! I love you!!!

A Summary of Time

Life has been happening.

Life has been amazing.

Braelyn has been growing.

Mom has battled depression, beat it, and is coming back with vengeance. 

Postpartum depression is no joke.

Postpartum hormones are no joke.

Being unsatisfied with your job is no joke.

Crying daily is no joke.

Throwing fits of anger towards those who care the most, that is no joke.

Literally throwing things, is no joke.

Accepting love is no joke.

Healing from diastasi recti is no joke.

Nursing, the most selfless thing I have done, is no joke.

Trying something new is scary, and again, no joke.

Being told to do personal development, and being so angry that you say you don't need it, is no joke.

Submitting yourself to God, is not joke.

Making new friends is no joke.

Realizing that some of these closest friends, you actually haven't met in person, but communicate with daily, is no joke.

Doing personal development and it truly impacting your life, is no joke.

Being happy, consistently, every day as a choice, is no joke.

Truly believing in yourself and in what you deserve, is no joke.

Forgiving yourself, is no joke.

All of these things and more have happened over the past year. This has been the most challenging and most rewarding year of my entire life.  Our marriage has grown.  My maturity has grown.  My leadership has grown.  My self control has grown.  My happiness has grown.  

Is every day amazing with rainbows and butterflies? Absolutely not.  Do I find something in every day that makes me happy, something to be grateful for?  Absolutely.

I've been growing, I've been learning, I've been struggling, and I'm coming back.  I want to share more of my story.  I want to help others struggling by sharing parts of me.  I am back.

31 Weeks Pregnant & on Vacation!

Week 32 is right around the corner!  2 months!  I'm on vacation this week.  It's been beautiful bit man am I sore! I NEVER have to be in the car unless I'm going to the store, so 4 hour a day car trips across Montana/Glacier National Park at pretty well killing my back.  Don't get me wrong, glad to be on vacation,  but it would have probably been better to do this MUCH earlier on in pregnancy!  It's been planned/room booked for 2 years though,  so we couldn't really have changed anything :)

How far along: 31

Gender: Girl!

Weight gained: 20.2 lbs (or more, no weighing v toss week bc we are on vacation!)

Inches gained: About 8.5 but probably more like 9, not sure bc we are on vacation :)

Working Out:  We are having an active mountain vacation!  Granted, it's not my "normal" mountain trip like my last two to Jackson Hole,Climbing the Grand Teton or a 19 ish mile hike to Lake Solitude, but I'm with Neal's family,  not mine,  & well I'm super pregnant ;)

Clothing Choices:  Hello stretchy workout clothes!  
Belly button: Outty!  It’s actually more like a “smothy” and it just is in line w/ my stomach

Sleep: It’s a bit hard to sleep in a new place.  The bean pillow had to stay home :/ and my back was absolutely in the worst pain for 2 days post flying

Best moment this week: Well since we are in Montana,  there's a lot of great moments :) I'd say any time it's not raining and I'm hiking is great! I'm a fair weather outdoor girl...I really wouldn't normally be outside in the cold (unless it's snowy beautiful) or the rain,  but when you are only able to see these places for a limited time,  you take what you can get!

Hardest moment this week: Upper back pain for sure is NOT fun while in a car or on a plane!  If it wasn't for needing to be appropriate in public/around my in laws, I probably would have cried most of Thursday on the flights and Friday in the 5 ish hour car rides. 

What I’m missing:  I'm on vacation...it would be nice to have beer or wine...

Movement:  She still consistently moves around 9:30 pm cst and again around 5 am ish if I'm trying to get back to sleep. She has cute kicks and wiggles when Neal lays on my belly and talks to her!!!

Cravings:  I'm back to milk!  I want milk ALL the time!!! And of course I won't pass having some cereal or a dessert to go along with the milk ;)

Queasy or sick: Feeling pretty well, but if I eat some unfamiliar foods and we get back in the car in a bumpy road, I start to feel a little unsettled. 

Looking forward to:  A few more days of vacation :)

Strange Dreams:  I haven't really had any as far as I can remember. 


Week 31 Workouts

• Wednesday - Dog Walk 1.75 miles & Chest/Biceps w Neal
• Thursday - Dog Walk 1.75 milesb
• Friday - 1 mile easy hike
• Saturday - 2 ish (maybe 3 by the time we meandered around looking for the right trail lol) mile hike in the chilly rain was about all I could handle.  But it was worth it to getv out of the car for some back relief and see McDonald Falls and Sacred Dancing Cascades
• Tuesday - 3+ mile hike around St. Mary's lake and to the falls!

Travel While Pregnant Suggestions:

• Bring a small pillow (or two) I used mine for lower back support on the flights and in the car, & it's my knee pillow at night! 
• Bring pillow cases...I turned the fancy pillows on the bed at our rental/condo into sleep pillows by taking off their 'nice' covers and using our pillow cases from home (can do w couch pillows too). Why change the cover to your own?  Pillows and decorative covers (even bed comforters) are rarely washed at hotels and rentals...nasty!
• Bring a tennis ball (or two in a sock) to massage your back against a non squishy seat, think car seat or airplane seat. This has been magical for me! Providing lots of relief on long car rides/flights! 
• Bring a water bottle!  Be sure you are still drinking water! I love traveling w my metal insulted one so my water stays cooler longer in the car! 
• Have healthy snacks still handy! When I got here,  I purchased Kind bars and Greek yogurt that I've snacked on while I wake in the middle of the night and in the car trips. Neal's parents brought a collapsible cooler which has made traveling w food easier. 
• If I had thought about it,  I would have loved my night light for the bathroom.  I hate having to turn on the bright lights when I need to pee.
• Be sure to take breaks if you are in the car for long periods of time. 
• Give yourself lei way and have some support from your travel partners. It's okay if you want or need to skip out on something.  And allow yourself to feel hormonal.  Your travel buddies should understand.  I know I had one REALLY bad day. Allowing myself to cry it out, talk it out with Neal and then walk solo helped a lot! 

What suggestions do you have for pregnancy travel? 

Brewing a Baby Shower!

Last weekend, I was thrown a beautiful and fun baby shower from my friends, Natalie and Hope!

First, Hope and Natalie brainstormed to make the CUTEST invites for us!  We wanted it to seem more like a casual lake day than a baby shower since it was a couples shower.  Hope is an artist and used her mad skills to make these bad boys!  I LOVE how they turned out!  Natalie suggested the book instead of a card, and I loved it!  Baby Bratton has some great books already!  I cannot wait to read to her!

DECOR:

Hope and Natalie were going with the woodland theme, which is what will be Braelyn's nursery/our guest room.  Hope gathered lots of lush evergreens and pinecones to put in large mason jars. Natalie got cute little woodland animals and they put them alongside this lush moss.  

She was originally going to paint them gold, but then we all liked the natural colors of the animals.

Natalie also made the cute sign that was behind us as we opened all Braelyn's presents.  Making the cutest backdrop for our shower photos!

FOOD:

To keep it casual, we had some amazing food Hope and Natalie prepped ahead of time all laid out for the guests on the patio table.  The day of, we just had to mix the fruit, salad, warm up the mac n cheese, warm up the bread, and have Dane (Hope's hubby) grill the chicken she had seasoned up.

• Massive Fruit bowl - approx 1 cantaloupe, 1 big bin of strawberries cut, 1 big bin of blueberries, and honeydew.
• Bread loaves from the bakers simply warmed and served along side honey butter.  The honey butter was made by Hope and she mixed up regular butter (like the stick kind) and creamed honey to taste
• Chips to keep it easy
• Homemade mac-n-cheese prepped ahead of time
• Salad made of greens mixed, cherry tomatoes, caramelized onions, feta, and homemade dressing (my favorite dressing is a thick balsamic with a little olive oil and some seasonings - I sometimes even just use salt and pepper for that seasoning!)
• Chicken on the bone, simply seasoned with a mix of spices and then grilled to perfection
• Dessert was the BOMB!  Hope and Natalie cut and sugared strawberries in advance as well as made little sweet biscuits.  Hope then made homemade cream and day off she layered these together in cute 8oz mason jars!

DRINKS:
For our drinks, we had organic lemonade, un-sweet tea, and sweet tea which Natalie properly labeled "Sweet as Braelyn" in recognition of the little guest of honor!  Oh and there was a bucket of beer, which I of course stayed away from even though I oh so badly crave beer during pregnancy...why is that!?

ACTIVITIES:
I wanted the shower to really feel more casual, like a lake day.  So rather than playing a bunch of shower games, we had croquet to play in the yard.  I meant to bring the redneck golf to play as well, but my pregnant memory failed me..wah wah! We also were going to bring cornhole, so that's another great suggestion for doing a casual shower like ours!

I mean come on...you really don't need much else when you have this:

If you want some suggestions on other more shower themed games, here's some of my favorites:

• My Water Broke - freeze tiny babies in ice cubes, first one to thaw out has to scream "My Water Broke"
• Chug the Bottle - we played this at the Baseball Themed shower I helped host for my friend Emily, and instead of baby bottles, I used juice boxes
• The smelly diaper - so this one grosses me out, but is still sorta fun!  It's when you melt candies down inside something that resembles a diaper, or I guess you could use real diapers, but that's a waste of $ in my opinion.  So then the guests have to guess the candy by smell or even taste if they want!

The house where we had this shower is my father's.  Sadly he and his girlfriend were out of town when we planned this shower.  With our busy schedule and this being 6+ hours away from where Neal and I live, we had limited times we could do the shower.  However, him and Kim were so sweet and had set up a banner and provided some cute little candy packages for the guests party favors!

That's a wrap up of the shower details.  We really were so lucky to have some amazing friends host and wonderful family and friends to attend!  Neal and I couldn't be more excited about our little girl, Braelyn Abigail Bratton!

Now here's some of my favorite pictures from the pressie opening and of our friends/family who came to support us!

Bath Toys!

This card from my brother and his wife was great!  It had a ton of # as they like to tease me about my social media hastags ie:  #LakeDay #BabyShower etc :)  Thanks guys!  Love you!

Em is so cute!

 The host and her husband to be!! I HEART you two!         This is my big brother :) Love you!

my cousin's little girl is ADORABLE!

One of my oldest besties, KB!

Daddy to be rocking w/ his little girl's itty bitty socks!

iPeed onesie from KB! TOO PERFECT!

My hubby!

My good family friend, Penny and my Aunty Jo!

Some of the Chix of '06!!! Natalie, Kelly, me, Martha, Emily!

The hostess and her mom!

Another one with Kellie and the beautiful lake backdrop!

That's a wrap!!!

Our Nerdy Valentines

Neal and I are pretty practical people.  You won't see us dropping dough at a fancy dinner, going out to tons of concerts, or buying extravagant gifts such as a mini vacations, lush jewelry (why buy it when I make what I love?!), or fancy watches.  I mean, don't get me wrong, we totally go on awesome vacations that we plan together (we'd both hate it if the other spent over $100 on something we didn't agree upon), he spoils me with occasional goodies, and I made daily adventures for us to do leading up to Valentine's day.  Right now, we are just at the point in our lives where we want to stash our cash like squirrels waiting for winter.  We save big and then we put money towards retirement (heck yes, can't wait!) or into another investment property.

So what did these two nerdy savers do for Valentine's Day?  Well we absolutely loved it and we enjoyed some super awesome planning together.

First, I did get him the gift of Cracker Barrel pancake mixes.  They were 2 for $8, and I just had to get the original buttermilk, chocolate chip, and apple cinnamon flavors.  We started the day off with the always delicious buttermilk pancakes.

Later in the day, Neal totally surprised me with new fish!  I know, again, super nerdy, not many women I know would be excited about 3 beautiful angel fish on Valentine's day, but I was (and still am) pumped!  We've talked about filling out tank with more of these beauties.  We only had 1 pink kissing gourami fish and 1 silver dollar fish left in the tank, and all I've wanted was to get some beautiful angel fish to accompany them.

I finished up working as Neal came into my office and asked me for my weight and height.  Hmm, not so romantic, or is it...?  He was getting us signed up for life insurance!!!! Whoop whoop!  That's something we both have been meaning to do for a long time!

We rolled into the evening by playing one of our favorite games, Cashflow, by Robert Kiyosaki, the real estate mogul, entrepreneur, and writer of Rich Dad, Poor Dad.  We played 2 rounds, the first one, I never got out of the rat race, Neal wooped my butt. The second game, I won, but just barely!

We shared this experience over delicious drinks and a heart shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's!  I mean come on, what else would you ever want on VDay than your own heart shaped pizza!?  It's one of my favorite traditions we started back in college when Neal had Fraternity recruitment on Valentine's Day.  We didn't have time to do anything big or fancy, so that when we started to look for fun and practical.

Neal even got 1/2 and half so he could have pepperoni and I could have cheese, so sweet!

The evening ended with watching one of our favorite shows, "Shark Tank", and then some winter Olympics!

It was perfectly nerdy and I loved it.  We had awesome (un-healthy) foods of pancakes and pizza, I got new fish, we are getting life insurance, and we played a practical game that helps us learn for the future!  I love my husband, he's just so perfect for me!

Hiking Lake Solitude in Grand Teton National Park

Oh these windy winter days make me long for the summer!  I look back at last summer and vividly remember my dream hike to Lake Solitude in Grand Teton National Park.  It's an adventure I'm so glad I stayed around an extra day in Jackson Hole to do!

A little recap.  My dad, his girlfriend Kim, my brother, and my friends Marlee, Katie and Byron all planned to do the 19 mile round trip hike to beautiful Lake Solitude during my trip to Wyoming in September 2013.  The entire trip was planned around that hike, and I messed up my knee just a day before we were supposed to hike while I was taking a morning jog in Teton Village.  So dumb.  Anyways, my dad, Kim and I couldn't catch a flight out of town (we were flying standby) so we got to stay an extra 2 days, and it was decided, the hike would go on!

The night before, I was stressing over work and nervous about my knee.  Dad and Kim said that we shouldn't set our alarm and just decide in the morning if we would go on the hike.  Well, I wasn't going to have anything to do with that, so I kept my alarm and let them turn theirs off.  My grouchiness wasn't going to get the best of me.

The morning came, and I woke dad and Kim up with the alarm and we all anxiously got ready for the hike we were not sure we were prepared to take.  I knew I had to do it, it was after all, my dream hike!

7:35 am:  We hit the trail head of Jenny Lake.  Day packs prepped with trail mix, cheese, salami, and sandwiches from the Jackson Hole Mart.  We had water, coconut milk (just me!), and a purifier to quench our thirst.  Also included was the safety of a first aid kit, bear spray, and OH S*IT I forgot my rain gear!!!  Now...everyone should know, always bring your rain gear on a hike as the weather in the mountains is totally unpredictable.

Note, I recommend going BEFORE Labor Day, as the shuttle at Jenny Lake isn't running as early in the morning, so we had to hike around the lake, the boat would have saved us an hour or two! 

The steepest part of the trip was at the beginning going to Inspiration Point into Cascade Canyon. 


View from Inspiration Point

Mount Owen from Inspiration Point

While going through the canyon to the Fork you have absolutely amazing views of the Tetons, especially Mount Owen.  There's a glacial river flowing through the canyon for ample water supply as well.

Be sure to take it all in.  From the rocky mountain side, the willows along the river and the
beautiful canyons waterfalls across the river on the mount Owen Side.  Seriously this is such beautiful land. Breathtaking and awe inspiring!  I could just stay here forever (if it wasn't for my amazing husband and cuddly mutts!)




The first view I will always remember as we stepped into Cascade Canyon!

3hours and 25 min:  We hit the fork! My excitement and anticipation were building as I was so focused, only an hour to go until I'm at my dream lake! 

I was so overcome with excitement to find the lake, that I would have missed the moose sitting there had it not been for Kim and her spotting abilities.  A Bull and a Cow just 75 feet off the trail right after the fork! 

We tried to take pictures but all of us were super shaky with a combo of needing to eat, being tired, and excited all in one.

Shortly after seeing the moose, the forest opened up into a stunning valley floor of boulders and vegetation.  This part of the hike was a little tiring as the trail does some switchbacks across the boulders.  But the views are just stunning!  So be sure to pause and turn around.  At this point, you not only see Mount Owen, but you can see the Grand Teton if there's not clouds in the way.  The top of the Grand was where my dream hike initially stemmed! (see that adventure, here).

A look back after we had gone over the boulders to the right and some switchbacks

A beautiful stream flowing through this area provides great water supply!

As we continued getting closer to Lake Solitude, we looked back and saw some looming clouds and heard rolling thunder as a rainstorm over took Cascade Canyon.  A few drops got us, but the storm didn't quite make it our way.  Phew!

I took a little rest while waiting for dad and Kim to catch up after taking a snack break.  At the time, I didn't realize how close to the lake we really were!

Finally, after the above beautiful waterfall was spotted and I took my rest, we hiked some more and BOOM!  There it was! I was skipping with joy as I sang out to dad and Kim behind me, "We're here!  I made it!!!"

4hours and 19 min:  Oh. My. Gosh. I can't believe we are here!  The views are ridiculously amazing!

The lake was smaller that I had anticipated, but every bit as gorgeous as I had dreamed!  I'm in love!

I have already decided that this will not be my last trip to Lake Solitude.

We took photos and sat down for our lunch of sandwiches.  Just as we were happily digging in, the skies opened and not only rain but icy pea sized hail came pouring down.  Again, remember mindless me forgot her rain gear, so I took shelter as best as I could beneath and pine.

The storm was quick and after it passed we packed up, took a few more pictures and headed on our way back. It was now 4 hours and 50 minutes into our trip.

We took 30 minutes to fill up on water when were back in the rocky meadows.  

In the same spot we had seen the moose earlier, we looked to the other side of the trail and saw a little log cabin we hadn't noticed before!  It was beautiful, but I didn't snatch a picture, drats!

Our hike back was blissful for me.  I was a chatterbox of excitement and a face full of smiles!  I love my mountains and it was like they had just embraced me in a hug and said, "We love you too, Tamara!"

The lovebirds, Dad and Kim, my hiking companions!

We weren't expecting it, but we had hiked back in just enough time to cat the last ferry across the lake!  Just as we were about to board though, the skies opened up again! Pounding us, and 50 or so other park visitors with nickel and quarter sized hail!  One hit my ear so hard and I of course shrieked like a baby!  

The weather eventually subsided and we officially boarded the boat and crossed the lake ending our adventure with a round trip total of about 8 hours and 50 minutes.

I did this with the adventure to the top of the Grand Teton, and I'll do it again here.  These are my few tips/lessons learned:

1. Always bring rain gear on a hike
2. Bring layers, we experienced 50 degrees to 70 degrees
3. Have your own filter to save on pump time
4. Remember to pause and take in all the beauty around you!