Courtney Irizarry

Happy Daughter Day to this beautiful, smart, sweet young lady right here.I am so proud to call you daughter!!! @arianannicole @ariananicolefitness

The Ugly Side Of Autoimmune Disease***long post ahead** So I’m sure you’ve noticed I went MIA. And this is why. Those of us that have autoimmune disease fear the dreaded “flare”. This is when our bodies decide to throw all the symptoms we have so vigorously fought to overcome back at us at once. I’m talking muscle and joint pain, tired like no amount of sleep helps tired, insomnia, rashes, mouth sores, the list goes on. Well my body decided to throw me this lovely curve ball. I’m sure any autoimmune sufferers can relate, to this:: life was going better, eating the diet I’m supposed to eat, exercising like I’m supposed to do, doing everything your “supposed” to do and BOOM!! It hits you, that awful feeling creeps back. You start noticing your rings don’t fit, your scale is going up, you hit the snooze a few extra times. The flare is sneaking up on you. In 1 month my thyroid numbers doubled, I gained over 10 pounds of fluid, had to drag myself out of bed each day and ultimately just felt defeated. I’m still struggling because even though flares can sneak up quickly they take a while to get over. So here I am stuck in a limbo of wanting to be healthier and my body trying to attack itself. What did I do to cause this flare you may ask. Well sometimes we get flares for no reason, others like mine I pushed my body to hard. I tried to push myself like I see others in my life and on social media do. Working out hardcore 7/days a week, counting ever my calorie, pushing myself to my limits. And well it backfired. Little did I know all the good things I was doing were actually causing harm. I learned from my MD autoimmune patients shouldn’t do a lot of cardio, a lot of HIIT or workout 7/days a week. Our bodies aren’t hardwired the same, when we release all those wonderful hormones that come with working out and all the breakdown and building up of muscle happens our bodies freak. It goes into attack mode. We are supposed to do low intensity workouts at less frequent intervals. Reduce stress mentally and physically and listen to our bodies. So here I am a hot mess about to try and turn this around. Just know your not alone #autoimmunedisease #hashimotosthyroiditis

Seasons Change! It’s September 1st everyone. Not only is it a new month it’s the soon to be the start of a new season, autumn is coming. Here in the south fall is a slow crawl to cooler weather but we don’t see it as early or spectacularly as our northern friends. But it reminds me of us. We all go through seasons of change in life. Either a quick transition or a slow crawl to change. But one thing in life is certain, things never stay the same!! #change #changeisgood #autumn #autumnvibes🍁 #september #fall #seasons

I Hate Hashimotos!!! This is the reality of why I hate Hashimotos. The last two weeks have been awful. Headaches, joint pain, muscle spasms, complete exhaustion. I mean literally dragging myself out of bed. Got my TSH back from yesterday and despite a medication increase and maintaining my diet my TSH has increased over 11 points for no reason!!! The frustration is real my friends. I have worked out everyday for 3 weeks, closely managed my diet and cried because I gained 6 pounds instead of lost. It’s so hard to put in so much work and see no results but backwards steps. Well this here is the answer why. As bad as it sucks though I won’t give up. I won’t lay down and stop fighting. This disease is viscous but so am I. Remember you are not alone!!! #hashimotosdisease #hashimotosthyroiditis #hashimotosweightloss #hashimotoswarrior #autoimmunedisease #truth #fighter #hypothyroidismweightloss #hypothyroid #hardwork #nevergiveup💪

7th Grade!! I am so proud of this girl right here. Today she starts 7th grade!! Where has time gone? @arianannicole you are such a bright, loving, God loving, inspirational young lady and you have accomplished so much in your short years here on earth. Even during quarantine while most kids your age were on tick took, watching Netflix or sleeping in you were up at 5 every morning, reading your bible, working out and helping others. I could never express how proud of you your dad and I are. I can’t wait to see where you go with this adventure. This is a new step for all of us but I believe you will thrive in school this year and pray God continues to guide you in all you do! I love you 😘 #proudmom #proudmama #daughter #bestdaughterever #smart #driven #7thgrade #homeschool #inspiration #inspire

Saturday!!! Always use your weekends for active recovery. Using the weekend as an excuse to “cheat” on your nutrition or veg out on the couch does not help your overall health and wellness. Keep moving but make it fun. Maybe a bike ride, walk(mall counts right) or swimming. Do what is fun for you. Also don’t make it a cheat day when it come to high quality nutrition. If you must make it a cheat meal not whole day. Fuel your body with the nutrients it needs. Food is medicine and energy to ours bodies and we can heal our bodies with proper nutrition.(a whole other conversation) Also as tempting as it is try to maintain a consistent sleep pattern. There is no such thing as regaining lost sleep. This only complicates our natural rhythm and sleep cycle. Try to consistently go to bed and wake up at the same time all the time and your quality of sleep will improve. Happy Weekend Everyone!!!! #weekendvibes #weekendtime #keepmoving #nutrition #sleepcycle #sleepbetter #hashimotosthyroiditis #autoimmunedisease #fitnessjourney #healthyliving #healthjourney #bethebestversionofyou #activelifestyle #activerecovery #workoutroutine #workoutmotivation

Why Monday?? Why every time we set a goal do we say we will start Monday?? Even when we “fall off the wagon” we always say well I will start over Monday. But this sets us up for further procrastination and failure. We will continuously push back days. We will continue to make excuses. Make everyday a Monday. If you didn’t start towards your goals or messed up your “diet”(I hate that word 😡) then don’t wait until Monday. Take control of your life and make everyday a Monday!!!! #healthylifestyle #encourage #pushyourself #everydayismonday #mondaymotivation #mondaymood #autoimmunedisease #hashimotosdisease #hashimotosthyroiditis #hypothyroidism #healthyjourney #encourageyourself #dontgiveup #procrastination

Who do you surround yourself with??? This is a question you should ask yourself often. Not only in your fitness life but life in general. Do you surround yourself in those that push you to grow; to grow in spirit, career life, and physically? We not only have to push ourselves to be the version of us that we want but ensure the others around us push us towards this as well. I am beyond blessed to have many in my life to push me in all these ways. It may be uncomfortable at times but I promise these pushes are for the better. So find those that have your best interest in mind and that will PUSH you to be the best version you can be. And I am always here as well if you need someone to bring that positive push into your life. Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. #supportoneanother #friendshelpingfriends #accountability #pushyourself #pushyourfriends #strenghtinnumbers #positiverelationships #neveralone #accountabilitypartner #greatness #friends

It’s the little things!! Sometimes the littlest swaps make a difference. Take my lunch today. I replaced spaghetti noodles with zucchini. I didn’t have “doodles” so I went ahead cut them into slices, roasted and boom. Chicken with homemade marinara sauce and zucchini for a easy lunch for work!! You have to find what works for you!! #zucchini #spaghetti #healthyswaps #healthyswap #healthyeating #autoimmunedisease #hashimotosdisease #hashimotosthyroiditis #antinflammatory #smallstepseveryday #smallstepstosuccess #onestepatatime #hypothyroidismweightloss #hypothyroidism #weightlossjourney #weightlosstips #weightlossmotivation

Take Care Of Yourself So this week will be a little different for me. Starting August 3rd my gals and I are starting an intense 3 week workout program called #mbf !!!(you can join me too!!) This will be a super intense HIIT, Cardio and Lifting workout, 39 minutes a day 7 days a week.(so excited for the challenge, always challenge yourself!!) So this week I am using to not tax my body with intense workouts but to focus on restoration and nutrition. I will be doing 7 days of Yoga to restore and loosen up all those muscles that have been worked with Lift4( the weightlifting program I just finished) and help to release a lot of anxiety I have regarding certain situations in life right now. With Hashimotos it’s very important to not overwork your body and control stress levels or you have the complete opposite effect on your body. You can gain weight and cause inflammation to rise. And that is far from what the results we are all looking for. I am also focusing heavily on my nutrition. With Hashimoto’s nutrition is key. I am following the 2B mindset program and will be focusing on its 2 top principles veggies and water first to help cleanse my body in preparation for the hard work that is to come. So here is to Day 1 of restoring my mind and body!!!! #hashimotosthyroiditis #autoimmunedisease #autoimmunewarrior #nourishyourbody #yoga #yogaflow #resotration #prep #beachbodycoach #beachbody #mbf #joinme #bettertogether

Hashimotos Sucks!!!!! Hashimotos and I have been battling for years. But slowly I am wining the war. As you can see here the difference in my TSH(thyroid stimulating hormone) is slowly coming down. And I mean slowly!!! People do not understand that the thyroid controls so much about us!! We all know the weight gain, fatigue but do you know the other symptoms. Heart palpitations, joint pain and swelling, risk of heart disease, increased cholesterol levels, heavier than normal menstrual cycles, mental fog and honestly so many that I can’t name them here. Unfortunately I am now experiencing one other effects, borderline hypertension (high blood pressure). I have had to begin medication which is something I have tried to fight doing for so long because as a nurse I k ow all medications have side effects. But until I can get my thyroid to a level that I can obtain optimal weight loss this is my only option. This has been such an ongoing battle for me. However I will fight with all I can. It is not just medicine but lifestyle changes. Because my thyroid disease is autoimmune I have to decrease the inflammatory response in my body. This means no gluten, no dairy, increasing my exercise. Eating more fresh fruits and veggies. Hopefully someday soon I will be able to see more results not only in my labs but how I feel and on the scale. But I know this is not a quick sprint it’s a lifelong marathon!!! #hashimotosdisease #hashimotosthyroiditis #hypothyroidism #hypothyroidismweightloss #autoimmunedisease #autoimmunewarrior #journeytohealth #fighting #myjourney #theuglytruth

Real Life You guys will notice sometimes you don’t hear from me for a day or 3 in a row and this is why. My real life. I work 12 hours in what used to be a Trauma/Mixed Cardiac. Medical ICU, we have slowly been transformed into a Covid ICU with one crazy surge going on. But that’s not what I am here to talk about. Despite this crazy life, being a mom, wife, bible studies, and school for a new addition to my resume I have my coaching. (Oh and homeschooling my daughter) Beach Body has provided me not only with the tools to be healthy and a great group of friends but the opportunity to work my own business at my own pace. The freedom to work on my own time, help others reach their goals and have my daughter help me in the way is priceless. Not only is she helping and learning business skills she is learning healthy lifestyle tips for life. We both also have a wonderful group of people that are like family and support us no matter what!!! #support #momboss #career #jugglinglife #beachbodycoach #beachbodyworks #selfdevelopment #selfimprovement #lifedoesntstop #teachyourkids #lifelessons #healthylifestyle #healthyliving #healthyhabits #helpingothers #supportothers

As I sit here stressed over my current Covid ordeal (like really how long does it take to get testing in SC with symptoms!! It’s already been 3 days!!!!!)I look at my journal Ari had me buy. I have to put positive thoughts and trust in my faith that we will all be ok. These words on this journal have never been so true!! I cannot let the spirit of fear take over me. There is truly power in our thoughts! #livefearless #faithoverfear #covid19

Hydration!! So since we have a few of us under the weather in my house this 4th I am trying to stay hydrated and kick this crud and sickness out while my husband and I await our Covid tests. I did a ginger, rosemary and lemon infusion today. Ginger is known to have antiviral/antibacterial properties and lemon is a great Vitamin C boost!! #hashimotosthyroiditis #covid19 #hydrate #ginger #july4th #naturalhealing #naturalmedicine #water #waterinfusion #infusedwater #lemon #rosemary

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵!!!⁣ ⁣ This is a hard post to post but I want everyone beside me on this journey and that means raw posts.⁣ ⁣ The first picture was me Jan 7th 2020 before starting Beach Body.⁣ The second is me after one round of Barre Blend and 10 Rounds(the day I started lift 4) the last pic this is today, the halfway mark of Lift 4, 4 weeks in and 4 to go. ⁣ ⁣ The point of this post is to show 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴. Even with an 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞, 𝐡𝐲𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐲𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐂𝐎𝐒 I am seeing 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 results with this program. ⁣ ⁣ It’s not a quick fix. It takes 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬!!! Waking up everyday no matter how you feel and doing it!! Having a group of great women behind me and my family to support me for the first time in 13 years 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 seeing changes.⁣ ⁣ My thyroid numbers still 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭 (very far from) my autoimmune disease I still have flares now and then but despite this I am seeing a change. So please don’t let anyone tell you it can’t be done!!! 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡. ⁣ ⁣ Like I say time and time again, it’s a journey not a sprint!!!!!! There is 𝐧𝐨 magic pill, drink, shake, coffee tea or oil to do this for you!!! It’s your own hard work and a great workout and nutrition program. I 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 you with these two this you 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 see results. #weightlossjourney #exercise #getfit #hardwork #hardworkpaysoffs #autoimmunedisease #autoimmunewarrior #autoimmunewellness #hashimotosthyroiditis #hypothyroidism #hypothyroidismweightloss #weightlossjourney #weightlosstransformation #biggains #beachbody #beachbodycoach #beachbodytransformation #thisisreal #nutrition #goals #nomagicpill