The Ultimate {and easiest} Date Balls

These were a huge hit when they showed up on the table Father's Day morning alongside a bowl of fresh strawberries!

Ingredients:

Pitted Dates (12)

Cocoa Powder (3 TBSP)

Pure Vanilla Extract (1tsp)

Nut Butter (4 heaping TBSP)

Unsweetened Coconut Flakes (Optional)

Required:

Food Processor

Directions:

Add pitted dates, cocoa powder, vanilla and nut butter of choice (I used chunky almond butter). Pulse in the food processor until "crumbly" texture (you may or may not need to add a few teaspoons of water depending on how dry your nut butter is)

Once your mixture reaches a "crumbly" texture, remove from food processor and roll heaping TBSP- size portions, using the palms of your hands to form round, bite-sized date balls.

Roll through (toasted or un-toasted) coarse coconut flakes. (if coconut isn't your thing, you can roll through extra cocoa powder instead.

Refrigerate any uneaten date balls. These can also be stored in the freezer!

Enjoy!

What Touches you, Drives you, Feeds you?

I'm fired up today for so many reasons.

First, my day started off with a bang when I was given what might have been the nicest compliment I have ever received in my entire life. If that alone isn't enough to set you off on the right foot what is?

In an even better mood than I originally started off (which is hard to top), full of energy and raring to go, I dive into my morning hypertrophy workout. I sweat it out. I love it, but make a few tweaks in the program to ensure optimal class flow from my newest Hypertrophy Clinic. I always like to give my class a "test drive" to ensure it's exactly what I want.

The ladies walk in and my focus shifts to making this the best damn hour of their day.

"I literally tell myself I am going to make this hour the best hour of their day."

I have invested in these ladies and I'm going to prove it. We have a great talk before we get into the workout, we discuss what really has to happen. What they really will have to do and what Intensity is really needed to get them where they want to be as far as hypertrophy is concerned from sleep - to nutrition - to hydration - to training - to recovering.

I keep it real. I tell them possibly what they don't want to hear, (but need to hear) so they can learn to stop with the vicious cycle of exercise and yo-yoing. It's true and they should know the truth.

I don't sell lies.(Probably why I haven't struck rich in this industry). According to the advertising in the industry, there IS a magic pill! Many of them (have a look at all of the magazines in the grocery line up that promise to reduce belly fat with 3 easy exercises or the pre-packaged products you can eat instead of food)... but they don't work!

Though my Hypertrophy Clinic is 4 weeks long it is not Fluffy's 4- Week Bootcamp. We aren't doing jumping jacks and we aren't setting a clock. We are Training not exercising. There are no lies or marketing tricks. The work has to be done.

They absorb everything I preach. They work hard. Probably harder than ever before in a gym. They amaze me. They amaze themselves. They amaze each other. We lift, we learn, we bond, we grow.

Class ends and the ladies thank me. Actually thank me, not just in kindness for running a class, but for my commitment, dedication and investment in them. It showed. I wanted to be the best coach I could be, and it showed.

I head into the nutrition aspect of my day where I meet with clients 1:1 and custom my program to their needs based on their lifestyles. A program like no other. What I consider my masterpiece.

The day goes on and out of no where I get yet another compliment that may NEVER be topped. What is going on?

This compliment floored me. With a lump in my throat, I continue on over the next hour and drove home thinking about the compliment over and over again and what it meant. It didn't just make my day. It make my year. (and it's only February!) Why am I getting all of these compliments?

It dawned on me. I struck a cord. More than one cord actually. Many cords with many people.

I realized since I decided to make big changes in my business over a year ago, that my motivation had changed. I now, am embarrassed of the coach I used to be. It's true. The one without motivation. The one that went through the motions of what coaches were supposed to do exactly how it was prescribed for us to coach. I guess you could say I "RX'd" as a Coach.

RX meant I did as I was told, not what I should have done, in hindsight.

Changing lives. Making a difference. Listening. Caring. Providing valuable information. Finding solutions to complicated problems rather than just "modifying" as directed.

Going above the "prescription". That's what I should have been doing a long time ago! But I failed.

Today, is a much different story. I help men and women bust plateaus, I teach people how to train, learning how to start with a base and build on it forming lifestyle changes that last... wait for it... for a LIFETIME.

I undo dieting. I undo starvation diets and calorie-restrictive diets. I take the stress out and create habits that take the fear out of food.

Not $1 of advertising spending has amounted to a single client over the years. Not one.

Each and every client has been via word of mouth. The cheapest, yet most effective form of advertising you can find. One you can't buy.

Those compliments touched me. They fed me. They drive me.

Self Care via Self Improvement, Self Love & Self Confidence.

Self Improvement

1. Get Focused.

2. Be a Mentor to someone else. Nothing feels better than having someone look up to you. Set an example of how you want your life to be. How do you want to be remembered?

3. Be accountable for your actions. If you say you are going to do something - do it! Stop letting yourself down. Keep promises to yourself and to others.

4. Be Intentional. What's your reason for improvement?

5. Love yourself. Really actually think of what you DO love about yourself and make it shine. (see "Self Love" below..

6. Seek Support. If you don't have it through family and friends, get professional support from someone who can help you get your feet on the ground.

7. Embrace Challenges. It's easy to turn a blind eye, but generally nothing "easy" promotes improvement.

Self Love

1. Eat Well. The types of foods you eat play a big roll in how you feel. Proven fact. Sometimes you don't know you feel bad, until you feel good.

2. Proper Sleep. Good decisions, healing and recharging are all aspects of a good night's sleep. This also plays a very important roll in how you feel which translates to how you treat or talk to others.

3. Move Your Body. You don't have to be doing Crossfit or Kickboxing, Martial Arts or Mountain Biking to move your body. It can be as simple as stretching and walking. If you aren't able to walk, use a wheelchair or learning wheelchair/chair stretches or chair yoga.

4. Hydrate. Water, water, water, water, water... every organ in your body is begging you for this. Unfortunately our modern day marketing has given us way too many options other than water. Humans need WATER to function at optimal health no matter who you are or where you live.

5. Love Yourself. Really actually think of what you DO love about yourself and make it shine.

6. Get Outdoors. Even if you are sitting outside or just walking down a driveway or sidewalk to get the mail. Breath some actual moving air. At very least, sit by an open window for a short period of time and you may be surprised at how much better you will feel.

7. Reflect on your life. Good (and yes, bad) accept them both. Forgive and accept the bad and turn your focus to the good things that can still be ahead for you if you allow them to be.

Self Confidence

1. Thank Yourself. There are more than enough things in life you have accomplished that you should thank yourself for. You deserve it.

2. Forgive Yourself. Give yourself a new beginning. Set yourself free.

3. Focus on the Good. Our minds have a way of letting negative thoughts slip in. It's our brains natural way of trying to solve the problem (even if it's too late to solve) Remind yourself that this is normal. Happiness is a choice, and it doesn't always come easy or naturally to most (even if it looks like it does). It's a choice worth fighting for.

4. Positive Energy. There are communities in every town that embrace positivity. Yoga studios, Strength and Conditioning gyms, book clubs, schools... surround yourself with people who 'pick you up' and give you purpose you may not have known you had. (Pets and service dogs can also be a way to find positive energy if you aren't ready to find it in humans just yet - you may be surprised just how uplifting most animals can be.) Whatever the means, all positive energy will help you gain the confidence you deserve.