The Beauty Movement 2016: The Beginning of an Era

I was asking The Lord last night about my business, and how to refresh and inspire my ladies. I absolutely love coaching, but I can get stuck in the "to-do's" and all the back work, and forget my purpose. I'm always asking my ladies about their "why": why do you want to get healthy, why do you want to reach your goal...because we can have all the "how's" in the world, but until there's a reason for the how, one can often lack motivation and commitment. 

Last night my "why" hit me like a freight train. I originally wanted to start coaching because I needed that sense of community, and I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself. I wanted peace and security, and I wanted to use my passion - health and fitness - to inspire others. And you know, I did that. It worked. I have that community, peace, and security. I have been using my passion... but I needed it to go deeper than that.

This is the year of victory for me - victory over health issues, victory over insecurities, and victory over the way I see myself. In 2010 I battled an undiagnosed eating disorder. I restricted calories to the point that my small frame was 96 pounds. I remember getting on the scale one day, weighing 98 pounds, and feeling fat. I remember looking at my stomach wondering how I could get it smaller, tighter, flatter. I remember worrying when my size 00 pants got the slightest bit tight because I was bloated. I would cave and eat a food from the "no-no" list, and even just the slightest taste sent me in to a whirlwind of guilt. I exercised obsessively, counted every calorie, and weighed myself several times each day. I was tired, frail, and unhealthy, but I felt that if I controlled my food and my exercise, I could control my life. I felt accomplished when I dropped another pound because I was finally "in control".

My sense of accomplishment faded as reality hit. I knew I needed to gain weight, not because I was going to become more and more sick, but because I wanted people to stop asking if I was ok. My mind and my body were not healthy. I would get weird glances, and friends were asking my family if I was alright. I was in denial of my circumstances, but now realize the severity of the situation. My “why” for that time in my life was this: I felt ugly. I felt unworthy. I felt undesired. I felt like if I didn’t fit the mold of the girl on the cover of the magazine, I was unlovable. The physical met the emotional, and I felt that controlling my body meant I would turn the tables on my emotions and I would feel beautiful. Worthy. Desired. Loved.

Last night my “why” for my business was answered with a gentle word from The Lord: "beauty". Chills wash over me as I write this, because THIS is the beginning of an era. I now know my reason.

I want a woman to see her self worth. I want a woman to feel loved, desired, secure, and beautiful. I want her to see and feel how much The Lord desires her and how she is made in His image. I want a woman to go to sleep each night feeling strong, knowing she did something amazing and so healthy for her body. I want to help a woman find a healthy relationship with food and break the chains of emotional eating and food-related guilt. THIS is the end of an era of Satan’s chains on us women. This is the Beauty Movement 2016.

But, I can’t do this alone. I need you to join this movement. I’m looking for self-motivated, fitness and health-oriented women to mentor ladies in a private online accountability setting. Training will be provided and you’ll work with me one-on-one as we help end the trend of obesity and promote a trend of beauty and self worth. Join #thebeautymovement2016 here. Or if you have more questions, those can be answered here. 

If this post resonated with you and you need that help, accountability, and motivation on your health and fitness journey, please reach out to me! I'm always looking for ladies that need or want that help...because after all, it's why I do what I do. <3 Contact me here for more information, or if you just need someone to pray with you.

I hope & pray you feel beautiful today.

Love, 

Anna

Coconut Flour Brownies ~ Allergen Free, Grain free.

Hi... *waves*. I'm Anna, and I have a million allergies and intolerances. You too? Nice to meet you! Even if you don't, I think you'll love these fudgey LOW CALORIE (yes, I said it) brownies. My toddler ate 2. Ok, 3. And I was fine with that ;-)

Note: these aren't your run-of-the-mill box brownies. These are fudge-like in texture and have a great coconut-chocolate flavor! But if you're used to "box brownies", you might not like these ;-)

Ok, I'll get on with the recipe, already :-)

Ingredients: 

1 cup coconut flour (spooned in to a measuring cup - don't scoop right from the bag or pack it down)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup + 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup cocoa powder

Stevia to taste

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (or milk of choice)

4 tbsp ground flax seed + 1/2 cup water (stir and set aside for 3-5 minutes)

2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 350*. In a small bowl, combine the coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine & set aside. In a small sauce pan, combine the applesauce, cocoa powder, and stevia. I used raw stevia, and about 2 tbsp worth. Heat the sauce pan on low until the mixture becomes warm and the cocoa powder melts with applesauce and gets runny. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine coconut milk, flax/water mixture, and vanilla. Stir. Add in the wet ingredients from the sauce pan to the milk mix.  Whisk thoroughly, then whisk in the flour/soda/salt. Do not over mix. Grease an 8x8 pan (for thick brownies) or a larger pan for thinner brownies (I used a 12" round pan) and spread your batter evenly throughout the pan. Top with a few chocolate chips or nuts, if desired! Cook for 30-35 minutes. The brownies will seem undercooked! Let them sit out until room temperature, and place in the frig until cool. They have a delicious, fudge-like texture! Cut in to 12 servings.