Look at God

Last year I said that my 26th year of life would be my best, and I'm now 2 weeks away from celebrating my 27th birthday.

I can honestly say that I'm happy about life and I'm happy about the work I do. I've touched more lives than I've ever imagined this year, and I've connected to so many people who have positively affected me.

Surprisingly, the 2 people who are making the biggest impact on my life are my teen mentees. They remind me that I'm not too far removed from all of the stress of adolescence. They teach me new words and phrases. They've encouraged me to pray harder. I'm old enough to be their big sister, but I pray for them in the same manner that I pray for my daughter.

I never knew that I could be so concerned about our youth until I started thinking of my very own past. I remember the struggles vividly. I remember how I changed. I remember how hard my heart became. I remember how much hatred I harbored on the inside. I remember my bad attitude and my mean-spiritedness. I remember longing for someone not to judge me. I remember how much I needed an adult to discuss my issues with and how much I needed a hug.

I now realize that God was ordering my steps way back then. He has been shaping me into the very adult I once needed in my life. I now realize that as recently as this summer when God was using me to give ideas to fellow life coaches about mentoring teen boys, He was preparing me to mentor teen girls. I even told one of the life coaches to invite me to Atlanta to talk to the young men in his boys academy about consent, rape, and intimate partner violence. I didn't know I would be traveling around my own state having this same discussion with male and female high school students as part of my volunteer work.

I'm living proof that the Lord works in mysterious ways. All I can say is, "Look at God."

My new prayer is that my 27th year of life brings with it an influx of income. The way my faith is set up, I know it will happen.

By His Stripes Review

Photo Courtesy of Amazon.com

One day I was minding my business on Facebook when I ran across a business ladder on Relationship Coach Tiffany Hampton's page. I decided to add my stress management info to the mix, and it just so happened that the person who commented before me was author Christina L. Mial.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to read new and interesting things. I went months without reading when I became a mother, so I'm always hungry for a good book now that my daughter is a little more independent.

After I opened Christina's book, I couldn't put it down. I read the entire thing in 5 uninterrupted hours with tears streaming down my face.

Christina had so much courage to write such a revealing autobiography that not only shines light on sexual assault and domestic violence, but many other issues like drug abuse and postpartum depression, as well.

I think every mother should read this book to understand how important it is to show and tell your child how much you love them and how beautiful they are.

I connected with many parts of this book, which made me feel like I connected with Christina. This book had such a huge impact on me that I sent Christina a Facebook message telling her how much she blessed me with her writing. She responded immediately, which illustrated how amazing of a person she is.

If you like to read, buy the book. If you don't like to read, buy the book. Whatever you do, BUY THE BOOK!! It's like a message sent straight from God. 

Good News

I'm sorry I have neglected you! I've been busy with my coaching career and moving, but I have a lot of good news to catch you up on.

• I'm now a certified life coach thanks to the amazing folks at the Life Coach Institute of Orange County. If you're interested in becoming a certified life coach, please contact me.

•  I'm contributing to a new blog for female entrepreneurs. If you're a woman with your own business, please check out Wonder Women Unite.

• Late this summer, two great friends that I met on The Knot and I will be launching a natural beauty blog. 

• Another wonderful friend/former co-worker and  I will be launching a blog that's very special to my heart. I won't say what it's about, but you will know soon enough. 

Now that you're all caught up on what's happening in my life, what's new with you? 

Product Review: That Crazy Wrap Thing & Greens

It has been a few weeks since I last blogged here. I've been so busy with my new stress management endeavors that I haven't had a lot of time to share my thoughts that are not related to stress.

This evening I'll be sharing my results from using "That Crazy Wrap Thing"  and Greens by It Works! Global.

I had the privilege of winning a contest hosted by my facebook friend, Ch-Hara (click her name to go to her product website). I won a wrap and received a bonus sample of Greens with my prize.

I'll be the first person to tell you that I was skeptical about the products, but I know quite a few people who use/sell them, so I wasn't too concerned about any type of adverse affects.

The best thing about winning the contest is that I had a chance to try out the products to see if they worked for me before committing to buy.

Before I share my results, I'd like to share my experience with the application of the wrap. When I took the wrap out of the plastic it was in, it felt kind of slimy and wet. It was easy to put on my tummy. The hard part was wrapping myself in plastic wrap. I'd recommend having someone else do that part for you.

Once the wrap was in place, I relaxed on my recliner with 2 or 3 (I really can't remember now; sorry!) bottles of water. According to the instructions I received, I was not suppose to exercise, move around too much or eat while wrapping. I was told to drink plenty of water.

I drank my water and literally felt the burn of the wrap. It wasn't too uncomfortable, but it was unexpected. I had to ask Ch-Hara if that was normal or if that meant I was having a reaction. She assured me it was a normal indication that the wrap was working.

I only wrapped for 45 minutes and I saw results right away. I lost 1 inch from my belly in less than an hour. Ch-Hara told me that the results would be progressive over the next 72 hours, and she was right. I wrapped on April 17th and by April 21st, I had lost 1.2 lbs, 1.5 inches from my waist, and a total of 2 inches from my belly.

You can see my before and after photo above. It has been almost a month since I wrapped, and I have not regained those inches. I can guarantee you that it was not water weight that I lost because water weight always comes back after a day or so.

The same day I wrapped, I also tried my sample of Greens. I expected the Greens to taste rather gross since the powder literally turns your water green, but it actually had a light orange taste. I exercised after I removed my wrap, and I believe that the Greens gave me more energy to burn more calories. I always wear a New Balance N4 heart rate monitor when I work out and I record my results on myfitnesspal.com. I burned 464 calories during Hip Hop Abs Cardio Groove on April 17th. Previous to that date, I had only burned 374 calories doing that same exercise.

Would I recommend the products I tried to others? Certainly. The thing I like about Ch-Hara and the It Works! Global family is that they provide you with a list of ingredients to take to your doctor if you have any questions. Any company that is willing to do that, is good with me. Plus, the products I tried really work!!

It's Hard Being an Introvert

  

I'm an introvert. I have always been an introvert, and I'm perfectly okay with my social caterpillar tendencies. 

I'm much more comfortable being inside my own head exploring my own thoughts than interacting with people sometimes. It's a bit hard to explain because I love helping people and I love talking to people within certain parameters. But I still prefer being alone with my thoughts than being surrounded by the masses at any given moment.

With the launch of my new website, my new facebook page, my new twitter, my new blog, and my new blog talk radio show, along with networking, helping my clients, and volunteering, I'm drained. 

I love what I do, but I'm no longer in my comfort zone. I'm trying hard to stretch myself, but every now and then I wonder if it's even worth it.

I know giving so much of myself will help somebody at some point, but I often wonder if people even appreciate my efforts.

I'm really thinking too hard about things, but I'm pretty sure that's one of the characteristics of being who I am.

It's hard being an introvert.

Out with the Old, In with the New

As the saying goes, "Out with the old. In with the new."

A couple days ago I formally announced the end of my Caramel Apple Delights candy apple making hobby. It was a tough decision to make, but one that I had made back in February. When making candy apples stopped being fun and started causing me stress, I knew I had to let it go.

As I mourn the end of a fun era of putting smiles on people faces with tasty edible delights, I also celebrate my new stress management blog and my new stress management website.

Although I have a new blog, this one will not end. This blog is an extension of my personal life. This blog is about my journey to a happier, healthier me. My new blog is about my business.

I'm a sporadic blogger, so whenever the urge hits (like right now at 3:19 am EST) I'll write here as a way to clear my mind, celebrate new wins in my journey, and review products that I love (or hate).

I'll end this post with a plea. If you haven't had a chance to do so, please visit my new Facebook page www.facebook.com/StressManagementCoachShereka. I'm currently running a contest until April 30, 2013, in which I will randomly select someone to win free stress management coaching. You know if you're stressed and in need of help handling your stress. Here's a quote I think I coined: "If you don't handle your stress, your stress will handle you."

Hooray for April!!

I've been a busy little bee and I haven't been blogging much. I guess now is the time to update you all on 2 major happenings in the life of Naturally Reka.

Fitness
At the end of March I celebrated a fitness victory by surpassing my weight loss goal. I have officially lost over 33lbs since Summer 2011, with about 20lbs being lost since July 2012. On April Fool's Day I wore a 2 piece swimsuit out in public for the first time since 2010. In the picture below you will see a picture of me from July 2012 on the left and April 1, 2013 on the right.

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Last month I won a free It Works! body wrap. I hope to get rid of the rest of my c-section pooch with the wrap, so I'm extremely excited about it! As soon as I receive it and try it there will be a blog post reviewing the product and telling you how you can purchase yours.

Business

A few weeks ago I posted about becoming a Certified Stress Management Coach. I will start marketing my services as soon as my website launches on April 15, 2013. The website is almost complete, so I've started writing my first stress management ebook. I'm thinking of a May 1st release date for the book. There will definitely be a separate blog post on my stress management venture coming soon. For now I'll leave you with photos of my promo stress balls and client stress journals.