Guest Blog: Mel- Fit Wife, Fit Mom

Guest Blogger | Mel Spampinato

Fit Wife, Fit Mom

Today I asked Mel Spampinato to share a guest blog post with you all!

Mel is a foodie, a fit wife, a FIT Mommy, and is in the process of forming her own company @FitFuelOC! FitFuelOC offers healthy, prepared meals to the Orange County (California) area. TOTAL Mom-preneur! 

I am completely inspired by Mel's determination and drive. 

She is down 45 pounds and just competed at the WBFF LA show in April. Oh, did I mention she has 4 children ranging from age 12 to 1?!? 

I enjoy following Mel's journey because she is real and honest about her life juggling 4 kids, a husband, a new business, and managing a household.... She does it all while keeping health and wellness as a priority for her family! Here is what she has to share with you all today!

Who doesn't know about McDonalds???.... 

Let me start from my 'beginning' as a young Mother, age of 24, I felt the need to give my child this treat of a fast food meal  not realizing the mental connection I was creating. Are these foods really a treat? Why would I associate the term treat with this food? Maybe because it came with a prize!?! 

I think as THE mother of my children it's 100% up to us (my hubby and me) when we choose fast food options although I well know this isn't a healthy balanced meal. With a busy schedule and husband that works some very very long hours, sometimes a drive thru is just my easiest decision.... However :-) I do prepare the majority of our meals and always work to make sure they consist of balance, flavor and freshness. 

I have four children ranging in age from 12 to 1, so we have multiple levels of 'sophisticated palates'. Our preteen son could live on cereal and plain hamburgers. My second and fourth daughters are very similar and my least picky eaters, they love their fruits and veggies. My four year old has good and bad days, asking for chips but will take cucumber slices in a heart beat. 

Learning to have a pantry/refrigerator stocked with easy, healthier snacks is so important. They are growing, using all kinds of physical and mental energy throughout the day which all burns calories. How we refuel their bodies determines how they act basically. It's simple and true for us adults as well. When any of my kids is 'crashing' it's pretty safe to say it's their blood sugar dipping too low (or maybe a nap :-) ). This is when the stocked kitchen becomes a treasure hunt. What to choose and why is something they need guidance on. High sugar snacks will create a spike and increase energy, but leads to another crash. It's best to provide food that sustains energy and keep their tanks running. So on a treasure hunt we go....and we TALK about what they want and why or what we can fix together  

We regularly chop up veggies so they are easy to grab and my older two have a quick fresh snack for school lunches. I encourage my kids to help me cut up their own snacks as well, when they do the prep they are always more likely to eat it. :-)

Today we prepared our version of a very well known breakfast sandwich ;-) ;-) which got the cereal king to have an egg (brain food) :-) .... I decided to break down the nutritional value so he could see it for himself - always an opportunity to educate them, after all they will be adults soon enough making all these decisions without our guidance.

And thus we return to my question - who doesn't know about McDonalds???.... Obviously we do, hence our breakfast :-) ... We are all exposed to unhealthy foods (drive thru or home convenience items). But if we don't prepare and plan ahead those 'easier decisions' seem to become more of the standard as opposed to an exception. 

It's a personal choice how we educate our kids but primarily we lead by example! How do I do it many ask... That's how! It's like the old saying 'what's good for the goose is good for the gander' and my little geese follow this Momma Goose on our fit, healthy lifestyle journey!

Xo, Mel

Instagram: @MelsFitLife

Want more?!
I would love your feedback! I love bringing in guest bloggers to help my readers! If you have a question or suggestion for another topic, please comment below or contact me!

What's Next? Video Blog

Hello there! 

Well, my first attempt at a video blog post only took about 5 hours to figure out! eeek! I promise I am going to get better at this an figure out how to get better quality videos up on my blog! This video did not go up as planned, but I wanted to follow through with what I said I would do. 

In the meantime I wanted to post what competition I will be doing next! After competing two weeks ago in Los Angeles and placing top 10, I have given a lot of thought to what stage I will take on next! So, here is the answer to the question

"what show are you doing next?!"

Watch on YouTube

I am looking forward to working on projects that will help others pursue their own goals and dreams! I will be launching a new website soon, posting product reviews, hosting giveaways, and sharing more tips and advice. You can expect a monthly newsletter from me with new recipes, articles, and information. Also, I am currently in the process of writing my first series of e-books. I have quite a bit to accomplish within these next few months, but I am excited to offer more of what I know and what I have learned to other people!

Please feel free to Contact me here! Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Utilizing the Tools I Gather

Hello!
The purpose of my blog today is to track my progress and share the various ways I plan to accomplish my goals this upcoming year. This past weekend was a very motivating weekend in Long Beach at Super Camp. I was surrounded and being taught by top Pro Athletes in the WBFF, experts in all industries from marketing, skin care, and self improvement. In addition, I shared the weekend with over 30 driven and motivated weekend.

WBFF Super Camp with Nathan Harewood and WBFF Pros Sharon Polsky,
Nadia Lopez, Lindsay Messina, and Teri Crenshaw
at Pole Position Fitness, Long Beach, CA

This was not my first camp. Over the last year I have attended 10 or more of these health and fitness camps here in California. Each and every time I come out of camp feeling motivated and encouraged to put the tools I gathered to use. Slowly I would lose that motivation and find myself back to my old habits. Going in to the camp I decided this time would be different.

Yesterday was the first day and the first Monday following camp. So far, so good! My first step was to admit to myself that I was going to have to face a few fears head on if I was going to create new habits. We all know this, right? Doing something new is always scary, but after you have done it a few times we overcome the fear. I sent texts to my closest friends and coaches making the commitment to change and improve myself. This first step seems to be what I may have been missing prior. It is an accountability factor. NOW, I cannot give up so easy and I cannot make excuses as to why I have not accomplished what I said I would.

I would challenge you to start there first. Make a commitment to someone other than yourself. Someone you trust, someone that knows and will appreciate the struggle you are about to have. I think this is something important to consider, SOMEONE THAT KNOWS AND APPRECIATES. Too often we tell someone our goals or dreams and they are someone that has no clue what it takes to get to where we want to go. Not only that, it is possible they are paralyzed by fears themselves and potentially could hold you back.

Another step I took yesterday is purchasing a journal and writing ALL of my year's goals on the inside cover. My plan is to each day write in my journal everything I am feeling, the things I have done or accomplished that day, and refer back constantly to the POWER GOALS on the inside cover. This way I can constantly check to see if my actions are in line with my goals. Also, I am able to track the smaller steps that I am taking toward accomplishing my goals. I think it will be a positive and motivating seeing that though it is small, I am making great progress!

Finally, each morning I am making a list of 3-4 things to accomplish for the day. Nothing extreme, just small actions listed that I can check off as I have completed them. Yesterday I felt accomplished when I went to bed. I had completed the 4 things that I had added to my list yesterday morning. They were smaller goal that I had accomplished, but I feel like it was a step in the right direction to create a new habit of committing and achieving.

Off to start a new day and tackle new goals!!!

Today-- Commit to someone that will hold you accountable in a positive way. Also, start by making a list of your POWER GOALS... the goals you will accomplish this year. Start with the big goals and then work your way backwards tackling smaller goals that are in line with your POWER GOALS.