The Full Scoop Behind the Paleo Diet & Lifestyle

I know, so many people hear or read the word paleo and just think of some overly beefed up caveman-esque dude or chick who's obsessed with crossfit, and eats raw meat & sweet potatoes all day. Or some of you might just think of Tarzan (ahem Davina! haha). While it's true that Tarzan WAS in fact paleo (or so we can assume) and many people who eat and follow Paleo are pretty fit and HOT, that mold doesn't exaclty apply to everyone in the world of paleo.

Paleo has gotten so much mixed press over the years and there is honestly so much misinformation out there about it! Whether you're reading this just to learn more about Paleo or you're thinking of transitioning over to following paleo, my biggest recommendation is that you go into this with an open mind! And if you're planning to transition to a paleo lifestyle, or even if you're just kind of interested in paleo as a 30 day challenge, then I recommend you start by following some of the amazing people in the paleo community to get some foodie inspo and see just HOW doable it is to eat paleo on a daily basis! Plus follow me of course - thepaleoballerina - Some of my recommendations of accounts to follow on IG/FB and their blogs are listed below at the end of this post! 

And yes, it really is a "Paleo community"! my brother always laughs at me when I say "paleo community" like it's a cult following or something. Don't get me wrong, some people take the whole thing WAY too far IMO but seriously for the most part it's just a bunch of people who believe that when it comes to nutrition and lifestyle choices, Paleo is the way to go!

When I first heard about paleo my response was "I could never do that. That sounds literally impossible and crazy. Like what the hell do you eat if you're not eating GRAINS? Only meat and veggies? I love eating a lot of meat, but that sounds impossible, plus I don't want to give up  my bread and pasta". But I kept it in my mind because there was this whole thing about eating as much meat as I wanted to, and I liked that.

About 6 months prior I had done the master cleanse and realized that there was a connection between my skin issues and the food I was eating. I had already given up my precious dairy after that first round of the master cleanse so I wasn't eating cheese, or creamy sauces, or ice cream, or any of the things I held so dear. I never even thought I could survive without CHEESE or ice cream. Now I was supposed to think about giving up BREAD AND PASTA also!? BLASPHEMY! 

But I did another round of the master cleanse and during an evening that I was particularly hungry while cleansing, I started writing out menus for when I could eat again and I decided to look into this whole paleo madness. My first search pulled up Elana's Pantry and a recipe for paleo banana bread and regular paleo bread, both made with almond flour. SAY WHAT!? Almond flour is a thing? That's bread!? I can eat bread on this paleo thing!? Maybe I can do this after all, I'm going to give it a try! Once I realized that I could make healthy paleo versions of the foods I loved and didn't want to part with I was sold. Easiest "diet" ever! That was in August of 2013 and I have been paleo ever since!

Now there are about a million different shades of paleo. I honeslty think that's why I love it so much and why it's become a sustainable way to eat for me while maintaining optimal health.

on paper the "rules" of paleo sound strict, but nutrition including paleo is NOT a one size fits all model so it's important to individualize your eating plan.

There are some people who take the rigidity too far, and there also is a real benefit to strictly following the "rules" for periods at a time - like a Whole 30. But more on that later.

Now all of the above is not to say that you wouldn't benefit from a super strict 100% paleo or Autoimmune Paleo (AIP) lifestyle, because absolutely anyone would benefit from it. But, for the average person living in the age of twitter, snapchat, and reality TV, eating 100% strict paleo 24/7 is virtually impossible, and for most there is really just no reason to sacrifice their happiness for stress of eating so strictly. But again if you're managing or healing a condition (like acne, pcos, psoriasis, diabetes, migraines, etc etc) then it might be not only beneficial to follow the rules rigidly, it might be almost necessary.

However way you spin it though Paleo is not meant to be dogmatic and it is not meant to control your life. EVER. It's about finding a way to make paleo work for YOU and your unique life. I really like to concentrate more on the individual when it comes to diet, and most importantly just eating REAL FOOD. Processed crap is just never acceptable. It's one thing to decide to have some raw organic cheese on occasion, or some sushi, it's another entirely to randomly chow down on a sleeve Oreos or a Big Mac! It's important to understand the WHY's behind each paleo "rule" and to learn the big difference between eating the cheese, or eating the Oreos...  Always weigh the pros and cons relative to you in your own life, but be smart about it. If not eating those Oreos is going to send your life into a tailspin where you're stressed and can't sleep, and obsessing, and going into that disordered eating mindset, then by all means, eat the damn Oreos.

I WOULD like to say though - please at least choose GLUTEN FREE OREOS! I only say this because gluten is a bitch and the effects of a gluten exposure can last for MONTHS. Like literally those damn gluten proteins can linger in there for 4 months after the fact. That's why for ME I will def have some froyo, GF or paleo cookies, rice, or cheese here and there, BUT if I have gluten it is always 100% BY ACCIDENT - we call this getting "glutened" and it's no fun.

Regardless, the extra stress of avoiding those GF Oreos is not worth it. Stress wreaks HAVOC on your hormones and those bad boys regulate how you store fat, your fertility, your mood and personality, and so much more! Just remember, this is meant to be a long term sustainable way to LIVE. Hence it being a paleo LIFESTYLE! It spans much further beyond just the food you put into your mouth. It is about choosing to live your life differently. Not some short term crash diet. Now that I've hopefully cleared up some of the common misconceptions and assumptions you may have had about paleo, I want to mention that with a focus on eating REAL FOOD there is an opportunity to really truly heal yourself naturally from the inside out.

Depending on what your background is, or the biggest challenge that you're working to overcome by transitioning to paleo, I typically recommend trying a Paleo Whole 30, AIP Whole 30, or just 30 days of strict paleo as an elimination diet to see how your body responds. With time you'll learn to listen to your body and know what you can and cannot tolerate. If you're not trying to "heal" anything specific then you can do a more moderate transition where you substitute foods you're already eating with paleo versions like paleo breads, paleo ice creams, etc. I'd like to mention that you can't heal years of damage in 30 days, but it's a great starting point to move forward from! For those of you who are new to paleo, let me do some basic explaining. 

There are a lot of AMAZING experts on these subjects and I would never attempt to live up to their standards of explination, but consider this the "Paleo for Dummies" or Spark Notes version of the Paleo lifestyle!

SO, WHAT IS THIS PALEO THING?

Paleo (pay-lee-oh) refers to the Paleolithic era and the age of our cavemen ancestors who were hunters and gatherers. Some refer to it as the caveman diet, primal diet, or an ancestral diet. Essentially the idea behind it is that our bodies evolved to digest the foods we were eating as hunter gatherers, before the agricultural revolution, and did not evolve to eat the shit that we do on the SAD (Standard American Diet).

Now that's great and all but again we ARE living in a modern world where McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, and Taco Bell are on every corner and being healthy is considered picky, annoying, and unnecessary. Life just isn't as simple as it once was. But that doesn't mean that we can't learn and take a hint from our ancestors! Here is a super simplified version of what NOT to eat while following paleo:

Standard Paleo no no's:

• Dairy ( ice cream, cheese-including raw, yogurt, sour cream, froyo, milk etc)

• Grains (wheat, barley, spelt, buckwheat, quinoa, rice, amaranth etc)

• Legumes (chickpeas, peas, peanuts, beans - all varieties except green beans- etc)

• Soy (soy lecithin, soy milk, tofu, soybean oil, soy sauce, edamame, etc)

• Sugar (especially processed white or brown sugar)

• Fillers & Additives (any ingredient you can't pronounce or don't know what it is)

• Processed Foods (fast foods, cookies, crackers, anything "instant" etc)

• Damaged fats/oils (sunflower seed oil, cottonseed oil, canola oil, safflower oil etc)Click HERE for my favorite guide on oils! Print it and put it up in your kitchen!

AIP (Autoimmune Protocol for those with autoimmune conditions) Paleo no no's in addition to the list above:

• Eggs (specifically egg whites)

• Nuts & Seeds (sunbutter, almond butter, pistachios, cashews, walnuts, etc)

• Nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, all varieties of peppers, eggplant etc)

• Alcohol (especially gluten containing alcohol like beer and drinks that are high in sugar)

Okay so those lists look a little intense I know, so let me show you what you CAN eat!

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Also to take a closer look into the madness behind the government regulated food pyramid, read this awesome article HERE all about the BS that is fed to us about how we "should" eat!

SO this is really where the fun part begins and that's customizing this to fit you and your needs. Yes there is a huge list of foods that we come in contact with on a daily basis that we are NOT supposed to eat, but hey everyone's body works differently! SO after a 30 day elimination diet, you can start trying to introduce foods back into your diet and pay close attention to any detail big or small that happens within your body. You must eat that ONE food item at all three meals for at least one day. Did you get gassy? Did you get any pimples? Maybe you instantly felt a little yucky after eating that egg? These are all pretty good signs that whatever you reintroduced did not agree with your body! There's more to this but this here post is not the time or the place!

Now there's also the fact that your bodies are changing. As we eat for optimum health and heal our guts and hormones, a lot of times we can successfully reintroduce foods that we couldn't even imagine tolerating before! But this is also not always the case. For instance, I know that cannot tolerate dairy. But I do sometimes indulge with organic raw dairy or some ice cream, but I do so knowing it will lead to a breakout of some sort. I must admit though at this point if I just have a little dairy I don't always break out. The LONGER you follow this healthy lifestyle the more you body heals and becomes resilient! Also some people tolerate dairy just fine, so if it works for you then by all means, reintroduce it and keep healthy versions of it present in your diet! Again - QUALITY matters here!

While I can't tolerate industrial seed oils AT ALL, and mostly can't tolerate dairy or soy without some sort of reaction, I CAN tolerate some legumes like peas, and peanuts on occasion (though they make me bloat and give me gas if I eat too much) and I tolerate gluten free grains like rice just fine. However, I don't go out of my way to eat them. I do drink a Vegan gluten free superfood protein shake called Shakeology every day that sources it's protein from gluten free grains like rice, amaranth, pea, and quinoa, and my body loves it, I have had no issues whatsoever!! Quite the opposite in fact! I can even tolerate whey protein now without breaking out which is awesome! Hellooo cafe latte flavor!

Moving onnnnn....

Besides my shakeo, I don't consume gluten free grains unless I'm going out for a treat of sushi, the super occasional gluten free bread or bun, or a gluten free treat! Again, not things that should be eaten daily, but in moderation they are a-okay and for me my body does just fine with them. It has taken me a long time to figure out what I can and cannot tolerate, and honestly I'm still figuring it out! I experiment with new things and I have my own gray areas when it comes to AIP, because my body responds so well when I follow it, but I find it to be too restrictive for me to do consistently.

But I do mostly avoid nightshades, I try to extremely limit my nut and seed intake, and I go through periods of egg elimination as well. It's all about balance and paying close attention to what your body is telling you. The fine tuning comes in time, you just have to decide, and commit to taking that first step to get the ball rolling!

I do want to mention that eating something gluten free does NOT mean it's healthy! So many gluten free products on the shelves these days have so many gross ingredients in them that I pick it up and start to read it, then I almost instantly put it back down. Get in the habit of reading the ingredients of everything you eat. Know what you're putting into your body and don't leave it to chance! Of course concentrate on getting real, whole foods into every single meal, but almost everything comes in a package with a label these days, so don't be fooled by labels and false advertisements! Always always always read the ingredients for yourself!

It's so important to educate yourself on pesky hidden ingredients and especially always watch out for things like sugar, and damaged oils in packaged foods! Plus my biggest rule of thumb: if you can't pronounce it then don't eat it! Also follow me on social media, I post about my fav clean, healthy, paleo friendly brands and products all the time!

Speaking of following....

Now on to my favorite people in paleo without whom I would literally have none of the knowledge or experience that I have today! For direct links to my favorite paleo products please refer to my Products page!

Everything Paleo:

Diane Sanfilippo - My favorite and practical resource for ALL things paleo and also awesome motivation and business tips! I linked two of her books on my resources page (Practical Paleo, and 21 Day Sugar Detox) that are game changers, and if you're into podcasts she has TWO amazing ones, The Balanced Bites Podcast that she co-hosts with Liz Wolfe (listed below) and also the Build a Badass Business Podcast! Plus amazing recipes

Liz Wolfe aka Real Food Liz - This woman has taught me almost everything I know about natural skincare and she's made me laugh in the process! I secretly wish that I was her, or I would settle for being her best friend! Her Purely Primal Skincare Guide made me believe that I could heal myself naturally and I learned so much from that ebook! I also linked her book Eat the Yolks on my resource page, it's another must read for paleo and laughs!

Dr. Sarah Ballantyne aka The Paleo Mom - Author of The Paleo Approach (linked on the resource page) she is the AIP queen! I have learned SO MUCH about the science and WHY's behind what our bodies do and everything paleo. She explains everything in a tangible manor and has written amazing blog posts on the importance of sleep, exercise, and just the real nitty gritty stuff when it comes to the lifestyle side of paleo and especially AIP. So much amazing knowledge and info here! When I teach people about paleo I honestly link to her website the most often!

Robb Wolf - Yet another paleo guru who has and shares so much knowledge on his site!

Chris Kresser - Also like Robb and everyone else mentioned above, a total real food guru and he has an awesome podcast called Revolution Health Radio.

Mark's Daily Apple

Elana Amsterdam - Elana's Pantry 

Juli Bauer aka PaleOMG 

Stupid Easy Paleo

Nom Nom Paleo

Civilized Caveman

Against All Grain

Primal Palate

Paleo Parents

Paleo Porn

Paleo for Women

There are a ton more out there, and honestly too many for me to write descriptions for at the present moment. I will try to update this with more detailed information at a later date!

Still feeling overwhelmed or confused? I can help!

I do take 1:1 coaching clients if you're looking to work with a mentor and want a fully customized plan created just for you! You are 90% more likely to succeed with a coach or mentor by your side instead of trying to do it alone! I have created a program that is going to help you find that missing link and get your health back on track! If you are READY to take charge and see what a healthy lifestyle can do for you then click HERE to apply for a free 45min Discovery Call with me! I only take 5 clients PER MONTH and I want to make sure we will work well together so it is imperative that you complete the application even if you're my bestie! I will ALSO send you my free 5 day quick start meal plan once I receive your application!

Until next time! <3

xoxo - Harmony 

Prime Day!!

Okay so seeing as I think you guys know I'm obsessed with Amazon (or maybe you don't if you haven't looked at my "resources" section on this website) you have probably assumed that I have Amazon Prime and order from Amazon very frequently!! And if you assumed so, then you would be correct! I seriously just love the convenience and especially free shipping with my Prime membership. ANYWAY I'm not here to talk your ear off about Amazon Prime, and time is of the essence

BECAUSE TODAY IS PRIME DAY!

So essentially there are just a bunch of great deals today so I wanted to give you guys a list of MUST HAVE'S today as well as just some products I found that excited me!! SO here we gooooo! Every item is linked in the same order on the right hand side!

1. InstaPot! You HAVE TO GET THIS! It's listed at an amazing price point (the discounted price will show once you click on it and go to Amazon!) and it is honestly one of the greatest things ever, especially if you are transitioning to, or are already eating Paleo! It just makes life easier in so many ways! Only $69.99 today!
2. KINDLE! Yes that's right. The Kindle is an amazing price today. Just get the basic one, it's frigggin amazing and life changing. I was super anti kindle before I got one. I honestly love it though. Great for cookbooks too so you can have Paleo recipes on the go as well as other reading material! Only $49.99 today!
3. Practical Paleo AKA THE PALEO BIBLE! Seriously if you have been Paleo for years or if you're just thinking about doing it - you NEED this book! There's a second edition coming out in September, but the kindle edition is only friggin $9.99. This book is huge and amazing!
4. Contigo! Amazing for carrying around ALL OF THE TEA!! Enough said I think! Only $10.99 today!
5. These are super self explanatory! Meal Prepping is a key factor in staying on track with your health ad wellness goals! Granted I personally am ALL about the PYREX and glass for meal prepping, if you're into the whole plastic thing then these are a steal! $15.99 today I believe!
6. Resistance Bands because well DUHHH!
7. Foot Soak!!! Also I think really a DUH kinda thing. Will soothe your feet and with Epsom Salt and Tea Tree oil.
8. Dry Brushing is wonderful for lymph function, blood flow, and can be beneficial for detoxification as well as acne!! 
9. There are SO many uses for Activated Charcoal! Teeth whitening, removes impurities from your skin, and can even be given to your pet if they accidentally eat chocolate! 
10. Full disclosure, I have NOT used this! But the ingredients look good and the reviews are totally awesome! Could be worth trying IMO!
11. I have dropped my phone so many times and having a :second glass screen" on my phone to crack instead of my actual phones screen has been a lifesaver!
12. Because Lavender Essential Oils are just always essential!
13. Painful, but SO good for your muscles! It's little "massage wand" of sorts, I actually made a video about it on YouTube! My channel is linked at the bottom of this page!
14. 100% Shea Butter! Need I say more?
15. Laundry detergent is SUPER important if you are prone to breakouts! It's a detail most people overlook, but you've gotta use a natural laundry detergent to save your skin!
16. I LOVE Bentonite Clay!!! I will admit that I haven't used this brand but the ingredients are good! Totally worth trying for acne prone skin, and really all other skin types also!
17. CASTOR OIL!!! I have a hair mask recipe on my blog using this oil. It helps promote hair growth. Where are my PCOS ladies and men with thinning hair!? You need this like now!
18. Wool dryer balls! Do not use TOXIC dryer sheets, switch over to the natural dryer balls!
19. Also not a product that I've personally used but I know a lot of people who swear by this soap! Could be worth trying out at this price point!
20. Magnesium Oil!!!! Magnesium is essential for really just so many reasons! It helps you calm and regulate sleep, it's also great for your skin in so many ways!
21. For all my avid selfie takers/video recorders this is bomb! But warning, IF you have glasses you'll be able to see the light in your pics/videos!
22. Yet another self explanatory one! Stability balls are not only great for their own exercises BUT they're also great as an alternative for benches if you're lifting!
23. These rollers are my FAV besides that "stick" I mentioned above! This is more of a traditional foam roller compared to the other but it rolls out your muscles much better than a standard FOAM roller because it ain't foam! It's awesome.
24. Speaking of Kindles.... The Kindle Fire Tablet is ONLY $33.33!!!! Only 4 hours left on this price! Crazy.
25. FITBIT!!!! I really feel like this should be higher on the list, but alas hopefully you'll at least look at the first and last items!!! This is the newest Fitbit and it's only $114 at checkout today!!! Cray cray! Seriously AMAZING price, and I just love Fitbits! Oh and this particular one is TEAL! LOVE IT! 

There are a bunch more great items, but I think you can browse and see if anything catches your eye! Also just FYI I do have an associates account with Amazon so when you purchase from my links instead of going to the site on your own I make a very small comission and you pay the exact same amount. If you don't want to go through my links, no pressure yo!

I hope you enjoyed this and found it useful! HAPPY SHOPPING! <3

xoxo, Harmony

Trips Down Memory Lane

I have a really good habit of wanting to write a blog post and even going as far as starting it, then not finishing or posting it until much later. I've talked about this before, it's no surprise! This is why I'm sometimes inconsistent. Once my inspiration passes I just don't have the heart to post it! I currentlyI have a HUGE queue of blog posts lined up. As I think of things randomly I just add them to this master blog post list. Someday they'll all get done! They will happen because I love blogging and honestly I think I've pretty pretty consistent with it recently guys! At least compared to before right?? So there's that.

Okay so when I originally started writing this post it was the day after I went with my husband to work, and it stirred up SO many old memories!

Let me back up for a second though. For those of you who don't know, my husband and I used to work for the same company! Totally different departments etc but same place. Before I worked for THAT company I actually worked for yet another company in that same building. Really I started working in that building at the beginning of 2011. How crazy, that was so long ago now!

Hopefully that helps give you some context as to what going back there meant to me. It was in this building's gym that I attempted to train for the 5k I barely survive (the color run). It was at a desk in this building that I sat and ate candy bars all day and gained 25 lbs. It was also at that same desk that I found out my dog had been hot by a car, I did the Master Cleanse TWICE, started eating Paleo, planned my wedding, lost 25lbs, made a lot of business connections, and learned so much about myself! At a different desk in the same building I created and tested my acne detox protocol, I took a ton of my "before" photos, I suffered from severe self confidence issues, was diagnosed with PCOS, learned much of the knowledge I use everyday, and my skin went all kinds of crazy while working there. It was also at that same desk that I decided to become a Beachbody coach, wrote quite a few of my blog posts, met some of my best friends, and signed my first ballet company contract. So needless to say, this building has seen a lot of my life's big moments. Sheesh, and that's not even all of em!

It's interesting to me how just going back somewhere can trigger so much. We as humans tie so much value to a location that the memories and nostalgia become intertwined with the location itself. Like going back there takes you through some sort of memory portal where you travel back in time.

They say hind sight is 20/20 and that couldn't be more true.

I had SO many feels being back in this building, back in this gym, and back the shoes of a life that was once mine even just one year ago. I ended up camped out in the gym where I had spent SO many FRUSTRATED hours in the past and all I could do was remember, and reminisce, and think about the person I used to be.

As I come up on the one year mark since I quit that job and left the corporate world, I gotta tell yah I am really having all the feels right now. I have been struggling big time the past few months and it has taken me by surprise more than anything else.

I haven't felt like myself. At least not the version of me that I have come to know so well. Most of 2016 has been a fantastic roller coaster so far with big ups and downs and I swear I have enjoyed every minute of it because I have a sense of love and calm and understanding for myself that I have been at peace in a way despite all the madness!

But all of that changed in May. If you read my first blog post from the beginning of June (which ended up being the only time I blogged last month besides some random recipes) I was pumped. Mid May I hit some HUGE BLOCKS in my mind and my career that really messed with me. They weren't technically life altering but when you create a sole focus and concentrate all your effort to achieve it and you're unsuccessful... Well it's not always fun. On June first I sort of went into panic mode which for me often goes hand in hand with mass productivity mode. Any other procrastinators out there feel me?

Anyway, it's that sorts thing where you're like, SHIT!!! IT'S BEEN SIX MONTHS IN 2016! I HAVEN'T ACCOMPLISHED EVERYTHING I WANTED TO, I NEED TO GET MY SHIT TOGETHER!

I was feeling good! Yes a bit like 'OMG I have so much to do!' but it came through in a good and productive way. Well I don't know when that ended but I'll tell yah, it wasn't very far into June before I found myself back where I was mid May - watching TV all day, feeling defeated and under motivated to do anything beyond meal prep, snapchat, and workout. Oh and TV. All of the TV. Like to the point where I couldn't JUST workout with one screen, no... I had to have Netflix or Hulu up on the main TV screen while I had my workout streaming on my little laptop screen. YEAH. I was really in deep.

I know I have talked in the past about my TV addiction, and I honestly try to downplay it because even just the word "addiction" makes me feel like there's somehow something wrong with me. But that's just not really the case and I need to remember that I HAVE to stay honest with myself in order to stay on the straight and narrow. You might think I'm kidding here but I'm honestly really serious. It's a problem!

The main thing is that despite my best efforts, I let my failures get to me.

They became all consuming in my subconscious and I essentially let fear take over without even realizing it. I failed at achieving my goal (which is very far from the end of the world btw) and it dictated over a month of productivity for me. How crazy is that?

I am someone who has let fear run almost her entire life. I try to be strong, and I try to be brave, but more often than not the simplest things freak me the fuck out. It's one of those things about myself that I HATED for years. I hated that I got nervous and got butterflies. I hated that I would get anxious at nothing. I hated that I was this person with no confidence.

But then I realized that it was my choice and I have to own my life.

I learned to replace the HATE with LOVE by constantly changing my internal dialog. Self hate becomes so ingrained in every single piece of your existence that it's all consuming. You don't even realize you're doing it sometimes until you're sitting and writing a blog post and realize that you still kinda feel comfortable with saying "I hate that part of myself."

True story.

It's one of those things that I really don;t realize is happening until I'm balls deep in it and realize that I let myself revert! But here's the thing.... None of us are perfect. NONE OF US. And that's OKAY! Everyone has things they struggle with and dislike about themselves. At this point I bet you your mind is pulling up someone you know who is like crazy uber duber confident as an example to why this statement is incorrect. Maybe even a memory is popping into your head of them saying something boastfully like "of course I know I would be great at that, I'm good at whatever I do." and you think, HAH yeah besides so and so.

But I have news for you.... It's often the people who boast the most that struggle with the most insecurities.

Really let that sink in. It's some sort of coping mechanism that we've learned over the years and quite frankly it kind of makes sense and also kind of makes no sense. I think of it as a suit of armor or shield to hide their fears from seeing the light of day.

So next time someone is being obnoxiously annoyingly cocky or stuck up, or over the top confident, first off be happy for them if they really love themselves that much, because that's kind of a huge accomplishment.

Secondly, realize that their boasting is more likely than not coming from a place of insecurity. We humans are the silliest things ever. Think of the little boys who hit little girls on the playground during recess because they like them.... How does that make any kind of sense!? Logically it doesn't, but it's a common behavior that was never taught to these young boys. They're just following their instincts and it's our job to teach the, what is and isn't right.

On the inside we all have a little bit of uncontrollable animalistic survival instincts, (that's a mouthful) and plain ol confusing as hell subconscious coding that is running the show most of the time.

"Lord forgive him... For he knows not what he does"

Part of that unfortunately can be self hate. This is one of those things that is LEARNED and we must learn to fight against. I will say it time and time again, but the very best way for us to challenge our limiting self beliefs is to do things that are as I like to call them "shit your pants scary" which is essentially the worst and best thing ever.

The beforehand part, the anticipation and fear is the worst. Actually doing it.... Well let's be real you're typically in a state of fight or flight riddled with adrenaline that can give you an energy high of sorts for hours to come. It's in the reflection and afterwards that the growth and learning happens.

OMG I CAN'T REMEMBER WHERE I WAS GOING WITH THIS....

But I just want to say.... Forgive yourself people. It's okay and normal to be flawed! Just work your ass off to be your best self every day! Ditch the guilt you associate with past mistakes and failures because they were all part of your process and journey. Ditch the hatred of this part or that part of yourself because they are part of what make you, YOU and unique. You are valuable, the world needs you, and you are loved. It is okay that you aren't perfect. I repeat, no one is!

I still have a lot of work to do (I feel like I say this too often) but what I know is that something has got to give and something has got to change. I can't keep on going the way that I have been, and it honestly frustrates the HELL outta me when I think about how unlike myself I have been lately. In part I know that this Bikini Competition is to blame, but that's a whole other topic for another time. This is NOT a time for dwelling in the past. It's a time for reflection, forgiveness, and moving forward.

Be strong and remember that no matter how badly you fall down or revert to old ways, there is always space to not only gain back what you've "lost" but you have a unique opportunity to far surpass your previous self. You are older (even if it's just by a day), wiser, and as long as you're willing, you will grow and prosper.

Don't expect to be able to do it alone. I know I wasn't able to this time around. I actually enrolled in a 90 day program and hired myself some coaches who have already helped me immensely: Get It Done Gals

I am so glad that I reached out for help instead of continuing to stew. We all need help, we all need support outside of our friends and family, and honestly we could all use a coach!!! I know it's easy to ask for help and underestimate the power of working with others, but this is powerful stuff. It's the power of human connection and energy that is our life force! 

I promise I'm wrapping up.... I'm almost done here but I have just one final thought...

The past is important to reflect upon. It's in our pasts that we can often find the answers to our present and future.

So do tings that make you uncomfortable and challenge yourself daily. Don't let your past own you and dictate who you are today. You have the power. DECIDE who you are and BE that person every single day. No matter who doesn't believe in you, no matter who talks shit, no matter how many haters there are. Be you, be happy, be free. Your life is freaking worth the effort.

Sometimes it would be nice if things were just easier. I find myself thinking this way so often! Like I almost wish the easiest thing in the world wasn't sitting on the couch and watching TV forever. WHY can't the things that are good for us be that easy? Like working out, or avoiding sugar, or deep cleaning, or reading personal development books. Why can't those be the easiest things on the planet!?

I know the answer and you do too.

If they were easy then they wouldn't be the powerful tools that we all need to push our lives forward, They're hard for a reason. They're effective for a reason. They're NECESSARY for a reason. The reason is you. What's hard for me could be easy for you.  What's easy for me might feel like the hardest thing for you. That's just life. We need those hard things and they're what make us great!

It still blows my mind that at this time last year I was gearing up to quit my job. Working a 9-5 has been the vast majority of my adult life yet it feels like such a distant memory. It hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows, but I do love my life, and I just need to remember to trust and believe in this process!

I have to go teach PiYo to about 20 teenagers now so I've gotta go! If you made it this far and read all of this then you are freaking amazing and I want you to know that. 

Have an amazing week everyone and happy Monday!

xoxo, Harmony 

That Good Ol' Half Way Mark

Yes you read that right. Believe it or not, we're half way through 2016 and as of today it's officially JUNE! DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!

Okay maybe you think I'm being a bit dramatic but seriously guys like WTF how did it become June already!? When my head popped off the pillow this morning I was like "SHIT!" I am not where I wanted or expected to be on June 1st 2016.

On a totally separate note, doesn't this picture make you think about picnics and lazy summer days spent sitting outside under the trees!? It brings me such a youthful sense of blissful calm and happiness. Ahhhhhhhh summer you're finally back! 

Don't get me wrong, I've come a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG way from the girl I was even just 6 months ago. In fact I posted a pretty sweet transofrmation post about it over on my FB and IG yesterday that you canc check out - but that's not the point here. Like damn. For someone who preaches seizing the moment and not letting your life pass you by, and taking chances and opportunities, I sure do feel like the past 6 months have flown by and I haven't taken full advantage of all the things I could've done. Despite that, this year has already turned out to be a crazy one!

I still don't blog anywhere near often enough and I know that. I am happy though that I've been blogging more in the past few months than I have in a very ling time! Like since this was a new baby blog and you guys were just getting to know me! I must admit that while April was a great month for me with my blog posts and my mood and energy and well, mostly everything - May was rough.

I don't know if it's because I came off of my Whole 30 in April and everything just went down hill after that, or if it's because I let myself relax a little bit too much for my hubbys birthday and various hangouts with friends but my productivity went kapoot along with my energy and mood.

I mean, I still did stuff for most of the month. But it wasn't anywhere near what I needed to be doing and it all felt kinda forced and uncomfortable and I'm not gonna lie. I didn't really like it.

But hey in life and especially in business we all have to do things that make us uncomfortable and we don't particularly LIKE. That just comes with the territory. I guess the thing it really comes down to is the fact that this business is UBER personal. So if my head isn't in the game or if I'm not functioning at like 1000% then everything suffers. I suffer internally, my team suffers, my nutrition suffers, my productivity and habits suffer, my blogging suffers, my projects suffer, my family suffers etc etc etc.

I'm not trying to paint the picture that my life was shit in May- because it totally wasn't!!! There were some extremely wonderful and amazing highlights, they just also went along with some really low times too. Part of the problem is that I set some really high and really specific goals for myself in May and I didn't hit them.

So, I failed. And that was hard.

It really was hard for me to fail. But I also read this magical book called "Go for NO!" by Richard Fenton & Andrea Waltz and it's literally all about learning that growth and success can only be achieved when we begin to crave failure and learn to fail hard and fail often. I know, it sounds weird. But you've gotta read the book and you'll see what I mean! It's a short book - I read it in one sitting! It helped me a lot but I still didn't full bounce back. And you know once the negativity train starts it's hard to stop it from gaining momentum. By the end of the month I found myself sitting around watching TV all day and dreading having to leave the house for anything or talking to really anyone. I got caught up on all of my shows which is really saying something - PLUS I started another new show on Netflix (The 100 - anyone else watch this!?) and watched the entire series. I mean when I commit to doing nothing and watching TV, I do it HARD.

For any of you who have been following me for awhile or know me well know that I really am capable of binge watching TV from dawn til dusk like it's nothing. I love it. But it's also my biggest addiction that I have to fight and keep under control. When my good habits are in place it's not an issue or a struggle for me. But I occasionally back slide for a week or two and that's what happened here unfortunately.

BUT I gotta say that I'm so happy to be back to feeling like ME again today. AND OMG I literally just got a text from my brother in TX telling us the gender of his wee baby!!!! AHHHHHHH okay I'm not going to announce it here because it's not my business to announce haha but oh wow so exciting! They're due on Halloween of this year!!!!

Sorry - getting back on track now.

In general as I told you guys in April - I plan to blog a lot more. Not always heavy content, and not always super involved posts - but just basic blogging because I just feel like that's what I need to do and hopefully it's adding value to your life in the process. I obviously post on social media ALL the time but I can never full get across what I want to say and honestly most people don't read what I actually write anyway. They just look at the pictures. SO there's that.

I actually have to go teach ballet right now but I just wanted to say HAPPY JUNE and let's own this summer and kick the last six months of this year in the friggin face hole! Take that 2016!!!!!!!!!! Let's do this shit!

xoxo - Harmony

Try It My Way

I realized today that I never actually made a blog post all about this amazing program that I offer which just makes no sense but at the same time makes total sense since most of you know my track record when it comes to consistent blogging! I do need to take a second to give myself a pat on the back because I think this month probably holds a record for the most times that I have EVER  blogged in a month!! Say WHHHAAAATTTT!?

Okay now moving on to the actual purpose of this post - Try It My Way!

Most of you I think know my story.... I'm just a normal girl with a crazy life like the rest of you! Spark notes version of my skin story: I've struggled with acne since I was 11! I have tried everything for it from Proactiv, to Obagi, to NuSkin, to Avon, to Duac, to Tetrocycline, to Spironilactone, to the pill, to Tazorac, to Murad, to every infomercial I saw, plus I mean literally like a million other miracle cures that promised me they would heal and clear my skin. Here's how the process usually went: My skin got worse, then it got a bit better, then it got worse than it was even before I started using the products.

Can we say #FAIL!?

This happened with ALL OF THEM. My skin was horrible in high school and afterwards, through my early twenties. Granted I'm only 25 right now but I digress.... Things for me got the worst as an adult after I got myself healthy and went off the pill in November 2013. That's really when all hell broke loose.

It took some time but within 6 months or so my skin was the worst it had ever been in my entire life. Enter the before pictures I use most often in my transformation pics from summer of 2014 I think around July:

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It was a really tough time for me. I was eating really well with Paleo, I was working out by doing Bikram yoga like crazy, I had just gotten a PCOS diagnosis and needless to say I was feeling low.

It was such a process to find balance in my life and it took a long time of making a lot of small adjustments here and there all over my life to clear my skin and heal myself. from 2015 through the present has been the first time in my life that I have had clear skin using 100% natural methods. I read as much as I could, listened to podcasts, and tried to absorb as much info as possible because I was desperate to heal myself 100% naturally. I knew for sure that I was NEVER EVER going to go back to doing things the wrong way with the doctors and dumb topical treatment that are really all just bandaids. In addition to all the adjustments all over my life and diet and topical treatments, finding my an exercise program that helped my skin instead of hurting it - PiYo (and now I've moved on to a bunch of others as well) was HUGE for me! PLUS ditching even all my expensive supplements for a super nutrient dense superfood shake - Vegan Shakeology has been a game changer.

Healing acne naturally is hard and complicated and I did it alone. Despite looking for help everywhere it was really so much trial and error on my part trying to figure everything out and I'm SO grateful for it all.

WAIT, WTF?

I know... I just spent all this time sharing my skin struggles with you and I'm grateful for it!? I REALLY am though because there are SO many people out there struggling just like I did. I would not have the life that I have right now without all of this. I would've never become a coach and I would've never found my place in the world. I didn't even really touch on the whole emotional side of having bad acne. When I was in my teens I just assumed it would clear up when I got older but that was just another lie fed to me by people who meant well but clearly had no idea what they were talking about. That goes along with all of the horrible acne advice I took over the years. The thousands upon thousands of dollars I've spent towards attempting to heal my skin is insane but I'm happy I did it.

The good news is that NOW I use everything that I've experienced and learned through those experiences to help YOU do the same thing. Which brings me back to my program.

Try It My Way is an opportunity for you to do EXACTLY what it sounds like and try to clear your skin MY WAY! I'm just asking you to give it a full blown try for at least 30-90 days. Like really take the plunge and dive in head first. I'll give you all the tools you need to succeed.

On top of that more than anything I want to spread this natural healing of acne, hormones, and PCOS as far and wide as possible. I want people to know that they have options outside of what's spoon fed to them by the media and most doctors about acne because it's all bull shit. Maybe they don't know any better, but that doesn't exactly fix the problem at hand!

That's where YOU come in. I would love to not only work with you to clear your skin FOR FREE but I also want to give you business mentorship so that you can help others to do the exact same thing as well! All you pay for are the products you'll use - my actual coaching and mentorship is FREE. PLUS you'll get the coach title yourself while I help you learn how to actually coach 1:1!

I thought of a lot of different ways I could go about helping people to the best of my abilities and I truly believe that this is it. I already have people in this program that are more like my best friends now. I look forward to our weekly video calls every single week -  these people are freaking AMAZING! Here is a message I received from one of my favs in this program after our first call:

“SO guess who woke up early to work out and found that exercise endorphins do actually exist?! I’ve never exercised before and felt those wonderful endorphins people talked about! I don’t wake up for anything but I forced myself today and oh boy was I happy ! Also, I wanted to thank you so so much for talking to me last night. I was over the moon bursting with happiness. I was so excited about our convo that I didn’t sleep til so late because I was looking up where to get all the wonderful products you suggested. I called my sister immediately who was anxiously awaiting my call to hear about our conversation and I just gushed for a solid half hour. Like I told you yesterday, I like knowing what to do and not to do and instead of feeling overwhelmed with all the information I felt extremely excited to begin. It’s been hard to get past all the disappointment I have felt not being able to combat my acne, but last night I felt like FINALLY I’m in control and FINALLY I feel like I can do this. I’ve always been optimstic but self doubt always crept it. You made me feel heard and understood, which meant the world to me. You are truly an evolved human, and I feel so lucky to call you my coach....... My mom was excited to hear about our phone call and told me I sound so happy, she’s behind me 100% on this journey. She’s always felt so helpless seeing her daughter struggle so she was happy with my new found commitment. I know this was a long winded message, but thank you thank you thank you. Everything in my body is telling me that I’m on the right track. I hope you have an awesome day and just know that you’ve made mine !!”

— Jessica Gonzalez

That message right there. THAT is why I do what I do. I can't even express to you how much messages like that make my heart BURST with joy, pride, and happiness! No one should have to feel as lost and alone as I felt. If you have acne then I bet you feel alone also, but you don't have to because you're NOT alone! I've simplified everything for you and I want to work with you 1:1 to help you heal yourself naturally. It IS possible, you just have to really be willing to TRY!

Just FYI Jessica has seen great success with this program and she's currently still doing PiYo and using all the tools she and I determined would be best for her including Vegan Shakeology.

Last but not least, I wanted to simplify the whole signup process of this so I'm going to include a direct link below so that you can enroll for this program through a purchase.

My recommendation 100% is to start you Try It My Way journey with PiYo & Vegan Shakeology. If that workout doesn't sound right for you though, then feel free to chose another one. You'll see there is a drop down list of different programs. Just please keep in mind that often times while healing your acne you need a good workout but you don't want to push yourself TOO hard right off the bat because this can have the opposite effect of what you want!

A few other things I would like to mention: You will be joining my team as a coach, but you're going to get extra attention from me because of this program. This isn't my standard coaching business mentorship because of all the reasons I listed above! You could also potentially turn this into a career if you want to! Even if you don't want this to become a career, you can still make some extra money WHILE healing yourself for free AND potentially helping other people find their own health and freedom in the process. I mean, if this had existed two years ago when I was at my lowest but wanting an answer, I would have just about died with excitement!

I promise I don't bite ya'll! But I do only take up to 10 new enrollments a month because of the amount of time I dedicate to each participant and the demand is high!! Last but not least, make sure you select the Challenge Pack option from the drop downs so that all your enrollment fees are waived and you're only paying for the products!

Try It My Way Coach Enrollment

Once you complete your enrollment I'll be sending you an email with a survey to fill out along with a link to schedule our first 1:1 video call!! I cannot wait to get to know you better and help you Try It My Way!!!! 

Build a BADASS Booty

Okay so I realize that it's kind of weird. I have been practically an absentee blogger yet here I am posting not one, but THREE different posts in one week!? Okay I repeat, where is Harmony and what did you do with the body??

I know guys, BUT it's like I said in my last post, sometimes I get like a fear or anxiety about blogging when I haven't blogged in awhile. Like the pressure is REALLY REAL YA'LL.

But fear is dumb and I'm SO not about that life! Anyway that is so not the point of this blog post! I'm here to talk about booties ya'll! Okay I'm here to talk about more than just booties but I mean not all of us were born with an internet busting Kim Kardashian Booty:

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Also, yes. You're not imagining it. That totally just happened here on my holistic blog!

I've always been more of a booty girl than a boobies girl. That's just my life, I'm pretty flat chested and I'm honestly totally okay with that now. PCOS made my boobs even smaller (thanks testosterone) which made me realize that it's okay. But for about 99% of my life I just wanted bigger boobs or even implants with smaller legs/hips/butt area! But alas THAT AIN'T ME! And I'm good with that now! Now just because a bottom half is "bigger" doesn't always mean that it's NICE. If you want a nice booty that takes work. PERIOD. Ballet works the booty like crazy ya'll. No joke. So I lucked out there in my earlier years I suppose. But then sitting on my ass day in and day out for years "helped" by booty grow in the not to nice kinda way. It was the 'none of my pants fit' kind of way. No one likes that way.

I think it really goes without saying at this point that I have had more than my fair share of body image issues. What can I say, being a girl growing up in the ballet world does wonders for body image issues and the psyche (please do note the sarcasm). I actually had this epiphany about 3 years ago when I realized that I would never actually be satisfied with my body. I knew I would never been thin enough for myself. I would never be fit enough for myself. I would always want more and always want to change things.

It was in that moment that I decided to just ACCEPT MYSELF THE WAY I AM.

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What an insane concept right!? No one actually does that! UHM yeah actually, they do. It's called making a decision and sticking to it. What's really amazing though is what happens once you make a decision like that. Because once I decided to accept me for me (SHE LIKES ME FOR MEEEEEE - name that tune!) I actually started seeing the biggest changes in my body! Or maybe it was all in my head all along, who knows! But suddenly I knew I was alright! In fact I was better than alright, I was AWESOME.

It has been a lot of hard work learning to love myself regardless of how I look and it's still something that comes up within me especially with the whole PCOS acne thing! I'm far from perfect but I try to accept myself the best that I can! SO I decided to put this whole I love myself - self love & acceptance thing to the ultimate test in the form of registering for my first (and probably last) BIKINI COMPETITION.

The Beachbody Classic. *insert I just shat myself face emoji*

Yep, I'm gonna be one of those crazy ass looking women with a dark ass tan and muscles strutting their stuff in a super skimpy bikini on stage in front of thousands of people.

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Okay so full disclosure and a few things I want to mention about this before you get all crazy and judgy on me:

1. I am not going to over train OR starve myself - my plan is very simple and healthy.
2. I may or may not get a spray tan. I honestly haven't decided yet. Regardless it will NOT be some crazy shade of orangy spray and I'd have to find one with ingredients that don't make me hurl.
3. I'm not trying to win anything or prove a point. I just want to challenge myself.
4. I'm doing all my training with AT HOME WORKOUTS. YEP! Details on this below.
5. I do NOT plan on bulking like crazy either. True Story.
6. I still have a lot of research to do! I know a lot but I'm not an expert on this yet! There's so much more to learn!
7. I DO have a super awesome plan in place with help from some of my fav celebrity trainers (Autumn Calabrese, Sagi Kalev, Chalene Johnson, & Leandro Carvalho) that makes me really excited!

After reading all that you might be asking yourself "why does she want to do this!? I don't get it!" The answer? I want to push myself towards a goal that scares the shit out of me. That's right. Doing this really freaks me out. The thought of walking on stage and posing for 15 seconds while flexing my muscles in a bikini is just like OMFG ABORT ABORT! Dancing in a tutu is one thing. This is another thing entirely and it scares me! This tells me that I need to do it.

It also has motivated me like crazy in my workouts! I'm already pushing so much harder and seeing results a lot faster because of it and I'm still a good 17 weeks out or so! I'm honestly so excited because I have come up with a killer plan and I want to share that with you and let you in on it! Well at least part of it. I can't reveal ALL my secrets right off the bat!

Right now this month (April 2016) I'm working on PiYo - mostly my live rounds and some of the at home program as well. I also have my last performance of the season this month so I don't want to overdo it! Then I'm moving onto Hammer & Chisel again but with a twist! I'm doing a hybrid by also adding in Brazilian Butt Lift which is a super fun dance based program!!! I'm going to continue with Paleo but also incorporating a twist when I get closer to competition time! Aaaaaaand I'm not just going to dish my whole plan to you since it's top secret, so that's all I'm going to share about it for now!! The rest of it is reserved for a select few to know! HINT: you could be one of the few!!! Keep reading! 

HERE'S WHERE THINGS GET EXCITING FOR YOU!

Okay so obvi I don't expect you to want to get as shredded as you need to for a bikini competition however, I do want you to challenge yourself. Summer and bikini season IS right around the corner and I totally want to help you feel confident in that swimsuit. It's not just about losing weight, I want you to FEEL confident as hell in your own skin! SO with that being said, I' decided to turn my master bikini plan into an online group for you to participate in with me each month until competition time. And this first month is going to be called BUILD A BADASS BOOTY starting on May 1st!

"But it's the beginning of April Harmony so why are you talking about this NOW!?" WELL I want to give you the chance to get the promotional price for these programs (you can get Brazilian Butt Lift fo freee yo! I'll tell you how) AND by registering for the group as an early bird (before April 15th) you're going to get SPECIAL and exclusive content from me plus extra gifts! I mean who doesn't like free stuff? I know I do! Plus guys I already have some spots filled. This groups capacity is going to max out fast and I want you to get your spot before they're all gone! I can only take on so many people! But YOU should be one of them!

I want to back up a second though. When it comes down to it, I don't think it matters even a little bit how you look in a bikini. What I DO KNOW that matters is how you FEEEEEEL on the inside and the outside about yourself. Making these good decisions for yourself, deciding to eat right and nourish yourself with nutrients along with exercising changes you not only physically, but mentally as well. Literally your body chemistry CHANGES. More than anything guys this is really a great opportunity for you to start getting healthy from the inside out and learn to treat yourself right.

I know everyone is in a different place. If you've already been healthy but just need an extra push then this group is for you. If you've hit a plateau in your journey then this is for you. If you want to really see results & you're ready to commit to YOU then this is for you. If you're ready to love yourself then this is for you. If you want to change how you feel in your body then this is for you. If you want to change your freaking life then this IS FOR YOU!!!! This group is for everyone from all walks of life! I so want to help you achieve your goals but there's only so much I can do without your participation! So let's do this thing together!

Did you know that over 70% of people who start a workout program never even finish it? Did you know that this percentage significantly DECREASES when you work with a coach? The real beauty of it is, I essentially work for free guys. You don't pay anything extra for my services as your coach. So why do it on your own when I can help you FO FREE!? Literally all you pay for are the products and I can guarantee you, they're worth every life changing cent. They actually come with a 30 day money back guarantee also. SO there' that. But seriously though. They're AMAZING and I don't see why you would even consider using that guarantee. I'll go a little more into the nitty gritty details below.

I'm going to be sharing all of my workout tips, tricks for success, exclusive Paleo quick start meal plans, my own tried and true methods, recipes, and seriously just SO MUCH MORE to get you feeling healthy! This is going to take place in this new free app for challenge groups! Cool right!? Enrollment just requires the purchase of a challenge pack through me! Like I mentioned H&C is on sale ya'll!! If there was ever a time to purchase it, now would be that time! I made this little video about what comes in a H&C challenge pack. It's short and here for your viewing pleasure! Remember that a challenge pack ALSO comes with 30 crazy nutrient dense SUPERFOOD MEALS in the form of Shakeology! 

Hammer & Chisel on it's own is a seriously amazing program but when you combine it with my favorite superfood dense nutritional shake Vegan Shakeololgy plus portion control containers and everything else I mentioned above, the possibilities are endless! Here's a quick video about it in case you're still on the fence! This video was a turn off for me personally. I honestly find them to be cheesy but I mean... It gives you a good idea of what the program is all about! I swear these workouts are flipping amazing!

I hope you enjoyed that video, and if not then that's fine too. Listen I don't want to make this post too long and you guys know me, I'm not into sales gimmicks or any BS like that. I do however, think this is a great opportunity for you to try some AMAZING products with my support and killer plan! Don't let fear or hesitation, or BS EXCUSES hold you back. You CAN do this! You are worth making the effort for! There's really no downside to joining us besides the fact that there will be some hard work involved. But nothing worth having comes easy! That's just life! Trust me you wouldn't want it if it was just handed to you!

SO on that note I'm going to sign off. I'm pooped. It's 1:53 AM but I was too damn excited about this group to go to bed without blogging about it FIRST! If you have any questions you know where to find me! You can always just comment below, you can email me (thepaleoballerina@gmail.com) OR you can find me on facebook, or Instagram (both are linked on this page).

Yeah okay my energy is officially gone, night night time!!!! Love you guys!

xoxo - Harmony 

I'm the Worst Blogger Ever

Guys so first of all... HI! It's been way too long again! I don't know why I put my blogging on the back burner when it makes me so happy! Therefore I crown myself with the title of worst blogger ever! I mean I think when I do actually blog it's great and all. I just don't do it often enough at all. Maybe it's because one person can only have SO much content to share with the world. Right now I have a to do list a mile long, and blogging is not on it. Especially considering the fact that I just posted a new recipe over in my recipe section I deff should NOT be sitting here writing a blog post but whatever. I can spare a few minutes for you guys if I can spare a ton of minutes on my fb newsfeed! I actually got this extension thingy on chrome that turns OFF your newsfeed and it;s magical. As long as I'm working from my laptop I'm actually productive as hell! That is of course until I pick up my phone.... But I digress.

SMALL UPDATE! I'm doing a Whole 30 this month and I'm on day 5! I also have a group of awesome people (clients & coaches) doing it with me and the energy and excitement in that group is UNREAL! I seriously love being a coach you guys. It's so fulfilling. It's challenging as hell sometimes too, but it's so worth it. I do have new spots in my Try It May Way program open as well as my 1:1 coach mentorship program yooooooo! So if either of those interest you just let me know! If it seems like I'm speaking kriptonian right now then shoot me an email or look at the new page on my website I created called "Join My Team - Become a Coach" for some more infooooooo! My #1 priority right now is my coaching business and anyone involved with it including clients, coaches, friends, family, etc! Maybe that shouldn't be the case. But it is. I want to get my family to a new place and I want to do it through coaching! I want to spread health and happiness as far wide as I can! I KNOW that anyone can do what I've done and so much more, so I also know that I need to share it as often as possible! Pretty cool huh? Meh maybe not to you, but whatever I'm excited! 

Anyway!! I was editing my website (which was on my to do list btw) and realized that I needed to blog at least something! I saw this blog sitting in the queue since I've been planning to write it for far too ling without actually doing it and knew I needed to actually just DO IT. I honestly don't have the time right now to say more than this, but I apologize for not checking in more often, and I promise I'll attempt to be better again real soon. This blog is something I plan to prioritize better in the future since it bring me joy and I believe it adds value to your life also if you're still reading! Sometimes I just forget how happy blogging makes me!

In other news, if you want daily constant up to date info on me then you need to follow me on snapchat! I'm OBSESSED with it! My username is super dumb: harrmooney OR you can use my fb profile picture (it's my snapcode) to find me!

That's all for today guys - just a super quick check in! I love all of you reading this!

xoxo - Harmony 

So, Harmony... What exactly has changed?

I highly recommend you listen to this before you start reading, and have it on in the background as you read since I was listening to this track the entire time I was writing! :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNjF5wFBptE

I've been visualizing and meditating a lot recently guys. It was a goal of mine to add it into my daily routine for 2016 and I've done pretty well. I have skipped some days, I'm not going to lie. But during meditation today I tapped into some deep emotions and realized that deciding to become a coach has changed my entire being. I'm not talking about the amazing products and the physical changes which are amazing also, but I'm talking about me on the inside. Most people, frankly I think no one would really see this change. Yes maybe in subtle ways people have noticed but really I mean the deep internal changes are amazing. I NEVER EVER EVER thought this would come out of me trying to find a way to change my life in terms of career paths. But it has because I've decided to let it take me down this path. I mean just the fact that I'm doing personal development often (again I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I don't skip days sometimes) has changed me so much. Talking with and surrounding myself with people who inspire me is powerful also. But the most powerful of all the the power that comes from within all of us and that's the power of self love, slef confidence, and self value. Because here's the thing. When I picture myslef in the future with my amazing husband and my family and my tribe and team of amzing people you know what freaking moves me to tears??? It's seening that I've helped people unlock those very things within themselves.

It means that each and everyone of those people has had to battle with themselves. They're had to go through some really tough shit. They've wanted to quit at times. They've wanted to give up and go back to the 'normal' or 'average' way of living because it's easier. But they DIDN'T. They chose to keep fighting and now here they are DESPITE all of their fears and short comings and they're standing with my by my side and I can SEE that each and everyone of them has self love, self confidence, and they each finally KNOW THEIR VALUE. I have helped people unleash and unlock their inner true selves! That's what this coaching thing is to me and what it's all about. It's about more than Shakeology which keeps my health in check. It's about MORE than the amazing at home workouts that keep my body healthy and fit. It's about MORE than making a dollar or shedding weight. It's about CHANGING LIVES FROM THE INSIDE OUT. I mean that in every freaking way possible.

I can see my future and it's bright. I know that yours is bright also if you're willing to put in the hard work and tap into YOU and your true essence. It's something you can't ever stop working towards. Because the second you stop, the second you get comfortable, the second you get LAZY, it's game over until you remember to put effort back into YOU. That deep sense of self love, confidence, and worth will stay with you always. You CANNOT put a dollar sign on that. I'm sorry but you just can't. You're worth more than a paycheck. You're worth more than feeling lost or stuck. You're worth more than you are giving yourself credit for. That much I can guarantee.

I'm so far from perfect. I have so much more work and love that I need to put into myself. I have SO many fears that I still need to concur. I have so many insecurities and so many feelings of self doubt and a lack of self worth. But you know what? I'm working, and trying, and pushing, to tap into the beautiful person that I know I am. Because despite all of my short comings, I am still awesome, and I am still amazing. I'm a work in progress, yes. But that doesn't mean that I'm not a beautiful work in progress JUST like every single one of you. Never ever stop growing or challenging yourself, this world and your reality are LIMITLESS. Don't let moments of darkness swallow you whole. Instead embrace them and learn from them. Turn you mess into a message (thanks for that saying Satcy Palmer). I'm still brimming with positive energy and inspiration but I need to keep some of it for myself without pouring all of it out onto this virtual page. I so often write posts like this where I bare my soul and honestly there is usually little to no response. We all vibrate at different frequencies and that's okay. YES I want people to come along on this ride with me. YES I want amazing people by my side. YES I think that we all have potential to me amazing.

But honestly I don't need a group of hundreds and thousands of people following me who don't want to be there or have the wrong motives for staying by my side. All I need are the few who's hearts are there with me. There might be days I annoy the hell out of you and vice versa, but that's how it should be! As long as we go on the journey together as a team I know we'll come out the other side victorious. If you're one of the few people reading this and this is speaking to you then I'd love to talk to you. I really would. I'll tell you right now though, I can only take people who live in the US or Canada. I wish that wasn't the case, but it is right now! Fears be damned, I don't care if you think I'm just here trying to push an agenda, I don't care if you're here thinking I just want something out of you or that I want something from you. Because you know what? You're right, I do want something from you. I want for you to join me and put some damn effort into yourself as a human being. I don't mean how you look. I mean WHO YOU ARE. How you feel daily. Your happiness, your dreams, your passions, your true self and your true potential. I want you to BE FEARLESS AND UNLEASH THEM! Just be you. Just be free. And let me help you! If something scares you then push the hell through it and grow. It's honestly the ONLY way that you can. Being comfortable and complacent never made for extraordinary. Uncomfortable is what get's you to the impossible!

So reach with me. Jump with me. Come with me and let's do this thing. Get inspired today and don't let your doubt cloud your heart. Don't let you head rule your heart. And don't let anyone else tell you what should be on your heart.

Your heart is yours and yours alone. So what are you going to do with it today?

Here's a link to my basic coaching application guys. Do with it what you will. If it annoys you that it's here well that's just too damn bad because here it is and really I do hope that you'll click it and join me on this journey. I want EVERYONE to have a chance to feel the way I do now so it's only fair for me to share that with the world.

http://goo.gl/forms/NZ7YyQb5aY

OH and it completely freaks me out to say this.... But I'm going to make myself vulnerable and let you know that my husband and I decided to TRY to have a baby this year. I honestly don't completely know what that means for us yet but it's exciting and I can't wait to explore a new chapter in our lives to come.

As always I'm available by email, facebook, instagram, youtube, and just about everywhere else except twitter. I'm too wordy for twitter. The links to find me are below!!

xoxo- Harmony 

Big Announcement: I Moved!

I'm honestly so excited right now to be writing my very first blog post in my new virtual home: TPB Blog!! I have actually owned this website for MONTHS but the thought of putting it all together used to overwhelm me like crazy. Like legit pulling my hair with anxiety and frustration type of overwhelm because I always had a million other things going on at the same time and ain't nobody got time for that. So I just linked this domain to my old blog back in July in order have some time to get a grip on my sanity without fully wasting my money. I almost even hired someone to do the work for me since that would be the smart entrepreneur decision to make as far as prioritizing time goes, BUT I decided to save my money and put all of me into this project instead and here we are! 

Also right now I have a winter break from the ballet company so besides teaching in the evenings and obviously working with my clients and coaches, I have had a ton of FREE** time to invest in my website baby. **Please note that while this time might be considered by some as technically FREE, essentially none of it has been used for typical FREE time things, like Netflix binges, shopping, going out, seeing friends, or just doing virtually anything not work related. Instead I've been using all of this FREE time for my business. So you see it's not really FREE per say because if anyone asked, I'd have to say that I'm not FREE, I'm in fact very busy. I need to come up with a term for this at a later date**

Moving on...

This website is really still is a baby and I'm slowly but surely adding more content, customizing an editing everything, but I'm also taking my time to make sure I don't mess it all up. I gotta say though, I'm so proud that I did all of this on my own!!! It's a great feeling and I'm still kind of surprised that I managed it without going bald!

One thing that has been stressing me out like CRAZY though is the fact that I didn't want to lose or let go of my old blog baby. She's not even that old, I created her in September of 2013 but there's so much passion and heart in the content of those virtual pages that I feel like it's an extension of me! So I went back and forth about what I can do to preserve her and what would be the best way to go about making this transition while keeping the life of my old blog. I decided in the end to put a LINK in the title area of this here new blog for anyone who needs or wants to access any of my archives or old blog posts. I may change this at some point if I find a better solution, but for now this is the best I can do while still being a COMPLETE website noob.

UPDATE: ALL BLOG POSTS FROM OLD SITE HAVE BEEN IMPORTED TO NEW SITE and the link has been removed!! Does this mean I'm not a noob anymore!?

In case you were wondering about this magical old blog I keep referencing, there is a lot of  awesome content on my old blog and it's totally worth checking out! So don't hesitate to head over there and read up on all of my crazy, to get to know me better (if you're new) or find the answers to some questions you may have burning inside! Or you know, to find something that you've read on my blog in the past and want to find again!

So I thought that I didn't have any sort of bulky lengthy post for you today (which I know seems impossible with how wordy I am) but it turns out that I kind of did have a lot to say since I kept adding things to this post after the first draft was done. Really though I just wanted to get my first post in my new virtual home, signed, sealed, and delivered kind of like signing your life away when you sign any sort of contract in real life, in order to make it official! 

So consider it official. I am here. I have moved, and I'm ready for this so I hope you are too!

As always I send you my greatest love and gratitude and I thank you for going on this journey with me and my crazy self! For those of you who keep coming back for more, I mean, I can't say that I know why you do it, but I'm grateful that you do it, and please don't stop!

Merde to me and this new blogventure!! <<< see what I did there? it's like a blogging adventure but also literally just a blogging venture, made into ONE WORD... Okay I'm done!

xoxo - Harmony

OH for those of you not in the ballet world - instead of saying 'good luck' or 'break a leg' to each other before performances, we typically say 'Merde' backstage before a show!! It means shit it french so it's fitting in multiple ways! 

I am Infinite in Passion

Hey everyone it's been awhile huh? Since my last huge post opening up about my PCOS I honestly was worried that I wouldn't be able to live up to my previous self's writing capabilities. I was surprised by how many people commented on how well written that post was! I am always a bit insecure about my writing and to me it's never REALLY perfect. I like to have a post sit for a few days before I even edit it just so I can have a more objective view when I reread it. But more often than not, I don't really want to read it all over again days later so I usually edit on the spot once I'm done. I'm sort of a dump writer. I just sit down, and dump out all the contents of my brain and heart and hope like hell it makes sense to someone other than me! I have been wanting to blog again for awhile now. In fact I have multiple posts that I've started writing and I've just kind of stopped and never finished them. They're saved on my computer and might see the light of day at some point, but I can't say for sure! I am a person who is capable of feeling very deeply but on a daily basis I usually don't let myself get into all that because let's be real, ain't nobody got time for that! And I really don't. I have virtually no free time and the little bit of time I do have I just want to Netflix and Hulu binge forever (BTW my newest shows are Jane the Virgin, Blindspot, and Reign - SO GOOD!)

Yes I go through standard emotions and self doubts and whatever else comes and goes with the days, but I don't often take time out to really connect deeply with my inner self. At least I haven't been recently and I think that's why I've been floundering a bit with well... Just about everything.

Before my dancing contract started along with my other various teaching jobs etc. I had a lot of time on my hands and for the most part I was using that time well. I was staying on top of my PD - Personal Development (reading books/listening to podcasts/watching motivational videos or anything similar to enrich my life, light a fire under my ass, and work on ME) and I was kind of on top of the world. While I wouldn't say that I'm now suddenly an unhappy person, (because I'm not) I do have to admit that I haven't been investing in me often enough by any means. Just to clarify: by saying 'invest in me' I don't mean buying a bunch of clothes, or spending money on me, I'm not talking about material or money things, I'm talking about my freaking SOUL.

So what sets your soul on fire? I'll admit that multiple things do for me, dancing absolutely does, being successful with my business does, helping people does, being a healthy person, taking care of myself and my surroundings does, and honestly being active, passionate, and loving does as well. Unfortunately nothing is quite that simple.

For instance, I love to help people but I find that when my head or heart is in the wrong place -ie I'm concentrating too much on what I want to get out of things and not investing myself in the process- not only am I not able to give my full self over into helping them, I'm also usually unsuccessful. My heart may be ultimately in the right place, but I let those other things get in the way and cloud my heart from others view because it's safer that way.

I love dancing but I feel a constant sense of inadequacy that comes from deep within me. It's from years of being in the studio day in and day out and always being told I was inadequate. I was never enough. I was never good enough and I essentially failed at everything before I even tried because my lack of belief in ME was so ingrained in me. It was the essence of my being. I'll be completely honest and say that after years of essentially verbal abuse, a lot of building myself back up into a capable human being stemmed from being with my husband. He pushed me to stop pitying myself and stop playing the victim. He taught me to see that I was capable of doing more and being better but I had to believe in ME first and foremost. No one else could do that for me but ME. It was a hard pill to swallow all those years ago but I'm glad that I did.

The problem is that (and I've talked about this in previous posts as well) being back in the ballet studio so regularly with such talented people is tough for me. It's not because I can't handle them being better than me, no in fact I'm very happy for them in that aspect. But it's because I start feeling sad for me again. I start feeling like that person who isn't capable of anything again. I start doubting me and everything that I have been building up in myself for the past 6 years or so. The difference is that I refuse to go back down that rabbit hole again! When this first started with the company and feeling like crap again I was pretty good about bouncing back and reading my PD to feel like a badass (You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero is amazing btw). But as I got more comfortable I started 'accepting' that I just wasn't as good as them and that was it. It doesn't help that I broke my toe last month which really had me feeling set back with a disadvantage. But it's just not true.

It's actually been almost exactly one year since I started dancing again. Part of me still can't even believe how far I've been able to come back into it. Even around this time last year I genuinely thought it would never be possible. I'm no prima ballerina by any means but I'm in a company and I'm working my butt off day in and day out. Except that now I am "back in shape" or so I should feel. I just have a hard time measuring if I've even gotten back up to the level I was when I stopped dancing back in 2008. How do you actually know if you're "back in shape"? I could go into all the stupid ways that I'm trying to figure it out but really it's all stupid and not worth my time or yours, so I'll stop.

When I think about the opportunities I've had, it genuinely bring me to tears. I can't help but think that I shouldn't even be able to do all that I still can and I'm so grateful. But at the same time, I need to do more, be more, and be better. For those of you who aren't dancers (which I can only assume is most of you) it's hard for me to explain, but feeling confident as a dancer is really really tough. I'll just leave it at that. I have done things in this lifetime that I genuinely never ever thought that I would. Like dancing on stage again, or putting my hair in a bun, or wearing a leotard and tights, or taking ballet class at all for instance. It's easy to forget about the past and where I came from, how much of a pipe dream it was to start dancing at all again even at this time last year. My life has entirely turned around and it has been an adjustment to say the least. Reality is never quite the same as our dreams but life is what you make of it. You can either live the reality of your dreams every damn day, or spend your days dreaming.

So back to my passion and the purpose of this post.

I have honestly probably used that word passion FAR too often on this blog, but I don't really care. What brought me back to writing and posting today is and was PASSION. Without passion my writing feels empty, mechanical, and meaningless. But with passion I can be myself, show my true colors, and let myself shine like I deserve to, and you deserve that too. I know more than anything that I really don't want to become that person again. The one who thinks she sucks and life and she's just unlucky or cursed. I've put way too much work into myself to let it all go down the toilet.

What I'm really saying is that while I'm happy and I love my life, I want to push for MORE. That doesn't mean living only for better roles in performances, it doesn't mean buying more meaningless crap, it means that I need to REALLY and GENUINELY start investing in me again. I have almost no free time ever these days. I mean really I feel like I'm constantly giving myself to everything and everyone else and whatever it is that I'm doing. But I need to realign myself, make sure to do my PD and never forget who I am on the inside. It doesn't matter who sees it, I need to remember to my core who it is that I am. Because my value comes from within and no one else can determine it but me.

I am infinite in passion.

This whole concept of doing PD daily and investing in myself is something I got from being a Beachbody coach. It's honestly something I never even considered doing before I became a coach but I really genuinely see the value in it. It's something that is easy to skip and look over. It's something that can easily be tossed aside and labeled as a waste of time. It's something that people may see little to no value in. But that is just not the case. Even today I ended up doing it really by accident. I was working on a video I'm recording about the coaching opportunity and while doing research by watching other top coaches videos on the subject I ended up watching one that really struck a chord within me and reminded me of something.

I own a business that has infinite potential.

And I want to explore that potential. I want more out of my business. With my busy schedule my business has become firmly planted on the back burner of my life. Yes I have been going through the motions but my heart hasn't been in it because I don't feel like I have the time. But if I really want to grow by business into what it's capable of becoming then I need to invest more into it. I need to invest ME into it. Investing more into my business goes 100% hand in hand with investing more in ME. You see by doing PD and working on me I AM working on my business. I'm making myself the best version of me that I can be so that I can guide others along their paths and journeys. I want to help people make their DREAMS come true while making mine come true at the same freaking time!

One of my dreams is to have a huge team of people who want the same things that I do. People who want to be the best freaking versions of themselves and to help others do the exact same thing in the process. I want to work together, build together, grow together. I want to go forward hand in hand and make an empire TOGETHER. Because while this business is mine, I cannot do it alone. I need a team of go getters, I need a team of pushers, I need a team that WANTS to excel and isn't afraid to try hard every day and to push boundaries! I need amazing people by my side who aren't going to let me put my business back onto the back burner. That's right, I need for you to push me. Yeah sure posting on IG or FB and getting likes or comments is great and builds my network. But life is just about so much more than that. And growing my business is about so much more than that. It's about more than money and it's about more than roles in a ballet performance. It's about people, and love, and making connections to last a lifetime. It's about taking ownership and being willing to be scared as hell but pushing through anyway for the sake of a better tomorrow. It's about learning, growing, and enjoying the dance even if no one ever watches you do it.

I have always wanted to bring people joy, and one way I believe I can do that is through dance. But another way I can do that is by helping people find their freedom in life so that they CAN concentrate on their love and joy and passions. I mean let's be real, we all need some financial freedom in order do what it is that we want to do with our lives. I know that I sure as hell do. Of course if your passion is to be a doctor and you're going to make bank following it, then good for you. You go Glen CoCo! But that's not the case for me, and I'm betting that it's not the case for you either. The good news? I'm ready for more. I'm busy and it's going to be hard but I want my reach to be far and vast and gosh there are SO MANY AMAZING PEOPLE OUT THERE! I know this because I've met a lot of you virtually and it's been an amazing experience. Now I just need to stop sabotaging myself with laziness and self doubt and start becoming and doing and being the person I'm meant to be. Anyone can do this so why the hell not me? Why the hell not you? We all face obstacles but how you overcome them is what defines you as a person.

So who are you going to be today? Are you someone who wants to take this journey with me? I still have a long way to go and a long road to travel but I'd love to have you by my side. I have learned so much and I want to share that with you as a mentor and business partner. I really can't do this alone and neither can you. We all need to love and support each other in this journey called life and I'm really excited to see where the future is going to take us!

Will you take my hand and come along with me? I'm 100% serious. Please email me {thepaleoballerina@gmail.com} because if you're passionate and you want to take your life into your own hands then I want you by my side on my team. I want to do big things in this life and my ambitions are of epic proportions. SO let's help each other and do this thing together!

I hope you can feel my heart and soul in this post because it truly is on fire and I'm pouring it out here onto this virtual page. My cup is absolutely FULL right now. Full of love, passion, and purpose. I hope yours is too.

xoxo - Harmony