Get Your Body Back

As promised I'm kicking off Project Get Your Body Back today! I just finished up the meal plan and am excited to stick to it 100% as well as my workouts each day. You will see that I have a lot of repeat meals, and while some find this boring or repetitive, I find it a life saver!! I don't have to do a ton of dishes, it cuts the cost WAY down, these are my favorite foods so I'm not torturing myself....plus when you think about it....people who eat unhealthy eat a lot of the same things too...same value meal from the same drive through week after week after week!!

This week I am going to follow the 21 Day Fix because #1 I need to start clearing out some of the foods I can't  eat over the next three weeks while I do the Ultimate Reset that are staring me in the face in the fridge, freezer and pantry. And #2 it is my all time favorite program! The meal plan is SO easy to follow, family friendly, comfort foods (tacos, french toast, Caprese Chicken and Steak!!!) and the workouts are ONLY 30 minutes!! 

My game plan is to do workouts at nap time....I need my morning time to get right to work and I know for sure I will get at least a half hour to work out when they nap. And should they wake up I'll just do it with the littles running around! Not only can they keep busy but they can see mama setting a great example of making health and fitness just part of the every day norm!!

I would absolutely love to have some accountability and partners on my journey!! If you're a new mom, high school mom, empty nester or mom of a fur baby I would LOVE to have you join me!

My October accountability group kicked off this morning and it's not too late to join us!! Our first week we are planning and prepping so that next week we can hit the ground running! If you're interested don't let another day go by!! Join me for Project Get Your Body Back, and fill out the application below!!

Getting Back on the Wagon!

Hi Friends!! It's been WAY too long since I've been blogging but I'm very excited to say I'M BACK!!! And with that I feel like I need to give everyone some updates on whats been going on, things I've been struggling with and how this mama is ready to GET BACK ON THE WAGON!!!

So March 2015 we were blessed with baby Harper! This little angel totally completes our family and I couldn't have been more happy to get her home and smother her with love and kisses! She has been a very easy baby from the start and I was blessed again with another amazing sleeper!! What can I say....they got it from their mama!! Napping is totally my favorite past time ;)

Transitioning back to work was much easier than I thought. Being that I set my own schedule, work form home and can do a lot on my iPhone I almost didn't skip a beat, but I do have to shout out my amazing team for holding things down while I did have some family bonding time....they ROCK!!

Transitioning back to my own health and fitness is another story and where I plan to spend the most of the talking during this blog! Let me start of by sharing a funny little conversation I had with my coach.... I semi-jokingly told her that I thought being a Beachbody Coach gave me super powers to bounce back after baby and they weren't working!! Well let me tell you WE DON'T!!

I am a normal mom just like every other new mom who has to WORK for it! There is no fast fix, easy pill or magic wrap that will give me the long term, healthy results that I want. Some women are blessed, lucky, I don't know what you want to call it but they bounce RIGHT back!! Other women hold on to weight and it takes a little more work. That was me!!  I had the programs, I had the meal plans, I had the containers and Shakeology. But what I didn't have was skin in the game! And I'm ok with that. I wasn't ready and unless I"m all in I don't have success. I know how I work. 

I lost 50 pounds 4 years ago after my son (above). I started my journey after his first birthday and on the morning of his 3 birthday party I found out I was pregnant again. Sweet, I wasn't worried about the weight I was just going to gain 25 pounds after all, right?? WRONG!!! I gained 40...8 pounds more than I had with my first pregnancy.

Ok, I still wasn't freaking out....I had those super powers after all right!! Well at my 7 week check up I got the OK to start working out but had to come back a week later for my IUD which required a week off from exercise to make sure it was properly placed...So now we are 9 weeks post partum and I'm just not feeling like doing this....I was eating healthy and clean 60-70% of the time but there were too many cheats, creamer in my coffee, soda (YUCK i don't know why i was still craving this from the pregnancy), etc. Just over all poor food choices. And when I did work out it HURT!! Well no kidding!!! I had 40 pounds to lose it wasn't going to be a walk in the park. And let me tell you I cried, bitched and moaned about it the whole way through. I even gave up....several times!!

Fast forward to July....I was heading to Nashville with my hubby and our team and I was SUPER excited to be going. I was going to celebrate the success of our team, meeting some of them in person for the first time, I was going to be recognized on stage for some of my accomplishments etc. I should have been OVER the moon excited, but all I could think about was my weight. How I felt SO uncomfortable in everything. I was pulling on this, tugging at that, and again taking a back seat in group pictures. I was having vivid flashbacks of my journey the first time after my son and I started experiencing lots of anxiety. Not just a little "oh what was that"..... but I mean full fledged panic where it felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest.

Now I know life is not all about the size pants you wear, if you have a six pack or can lift a million pounds, and beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. But I also know that THIS is not me. My feet hurt when I get out of bed, my back aches, my clothes don't fit and I have two chins lol YES I'M TOTALLY LAUGHING AT MYSELF!!! But the point of this post today is to share with you that I am REAL. I STRUGGLE, I have bad days, too many cheat meals and too many skipped workouts. But its time to draw a line in the sand!!

My daughter turned 6 months old two weeks ago today and we are making some transitions. What I'm about to share is not really a big deal but can be a touchy subject so please remember if you're going to chime in to keep it positive this is a NO JUDGEMENT ZONE!!! We have decided to start weaning her from nursing. First of all I think this is so much harder for me emotionally than anything else....she takes the bottle like a champ and really could care less about the boob! But its clear that I'm not producing enough for her and she is also transitioning to solids so we feel as a family that this is the right time.

With that being said I am about to embark on a new journey as well. Starting October 12th I will be doing the Ultimate Reset which is a 21 Day Cleanse. This will help my body get rid of the toxins and is a gentle, no-starvation cleanse that will help my body get back  to its optimal "factory settings', If you'd like more information on  it you can check it out HERE. I am choosing to do this program because I want to "reset" my body. I can feel that things are "off" and my body is not functioning properly. I'm always tired (can't even blame the baby she sleeps 12 hours a night), have lots of aches and pains and like I said need to drop the weight.

But I'm not waiting to start until the 12th!! This girl is starting TO-DAY!!!! I will be following the 21 Day Fix program today through the 11th transitioning away from the poor choices, cutting coffee and preparing my body for this process. In fact I just left the grocery store getting myself set up for a successful 11 days!!

So if you're still reading this long post, thank you! I felt strongly about sharing my story, whats been going on and being totally transparent about my struggles after baby number two. I know that many feel that she's only 6 months and I should cut myself some slack. And if you're a new mom not ready to start thats TOTALLY fine do what works for you, I am just at a point where I am SO very ready for a change.....I've got some SERIOUS skin in the game!!

Please stop by to watch my journey...I'll be sharing my weekly meal plans, progress and how I am doing along the way!!

And if you're a new mom looking to lose weight, eat healthy, start working out or just looking to connect with a fellow new mom, find me over at Facebook!!

#BeThatGirl Leadership Retreat - Destin Florida

What a weekend!! I just returned home to the West Coast after an amazing 5 days in Destin Florida for a Leadership retreat. I have been coaching for 3 years now and for various reasons, including being pregnant, have not been able to attend a retreat, even though I was qualified. So to be able to attend this year, there was NO way I was missing it!! 

I will admit as the trip got closer my anxiety got stronger. I was about to spend the weekend with 40+ women, several of whom are some of my best friends, but many of them I did not know. But, what came out of this trip together is amazing memories, new friendships, a lot of laughs, and a ton of learning and growth!  

When we arrived we were given the royal treatment from the minute we walked in the door!

The retreat was themed around the book, I Am That Girl and we focused heavily on developing our own voice, story and truly being ok with being ourselves! We were also given a super cute tank which read,  #bethatgirl leadership retreat! 

Thursday night we had an awesome backyard BBQ dinner and chatted getting to know one another. After this, we kicked off the event with an ice breaker where we went around the room and introduced ourselves. We took turns sharing who we are and a little bit about our story and where we came from. It was such an awesome activity really getting to learn about each other. We laughed, we cried but over all we learned that we are ALL amazing women who each have a story unlike any other yet also similar in some ways too!

Friday morning we gathered for a PiYo workout around the pool.  It was pretty incredible to start out the morning with these amazing women working out as the sun was rising. What a fantastic way to start the day, calm, centered and focused!

Friday night we got together for our first official workshop of the weekend.  A huge part of your business is knowing WHY you are here and being able to effectively communicate your story.  I will tell you that this is a difficult thing to do! When I first started with Beachbody I was very shy and insecure  I was not comfortable putting myself out there and I thought I always had to be what "others" wanted me to be, no matter what that was. But after several years of learning and growing, reading personal development and really digging deep its getting a little easier. Being know WHY you MATTER and WHY you make a difference was what we worked on and was a truly eye opening activity!  

Saturday started off again with three choices of workouts with various certified trainers (Tabata, PiYo and Cize). And then it was in for a quick breakfast before our full day of Elite and Corporate training. 

We had the honor of listening to Cim Carver discuss the importance of goal setting, game planning for the end of this year and starting off next year strong,  overcoming fear, and controlling the controllable!  

We broke for lunch of grilled chicken salads

 Then back to training on how to create a marketing plan, how to grow your confidence and how to find a work life balance. 

After our training was over we all put on our Be That Girl tanks and headed to the Beach for a large team picture. To see how much our team has grown over the years is truly awesome! 

Then it was back to the house for Mexican night! 

We enjoyed chicken and steak fajitas, chips and guac, and margaritas. 

We sat by the pool, roasted marshmallows, made s'mores and relaxed together.  

On Sunday we learned all about social media and how to grow our business through like pages.  Then it was time to head to the beach to chill and relax!! It was nice after the 2 days of training to just laugh and have fun!!!  The breeze was perfect, the weather was warm and the fish were all around us in the clear blue water! 

Team retreats and other events like this require a lot. We have to leave our families, invest in travel, transportation and babysitters in come cases, but these experiences can never be duplicated. The value, knowledge and overall experience is just truly amazing!

One of the key things I learned about myself from this retreat is that I am not alone in this. Sometimes as an entrepreneur, its easy to wonder if we are doing this whole thing right, how we can be doing things differently and constantly looking to improve. So its nice to know we are not alone and that everyone goes through the same or similar things in their business! 

Today I sit here looking through countless pages of notes and I know that some BIG shifts are coming! My business is going to grow by leaps and bounds, I'm setting BIG, SCARY goals and I am becoming a stronger leader!  

If you want to be successful in life it means stepping out of your comfort zone, it means taking that LEAP OF FAITH, stepping forward, and be willing to fail so that you can learn from the experience and become stronger and better!

If you have every considered coaching, now is the time! We are ending 2015 STRONG and kicking off 2016 with a BANG!

I am currently running a 5 Day sneak peek into coaching for women who are not currently coaching or working with another Beachbody coach.  If you would like to learn more about how this business works then you can request to join the group:

I am also going to be doing a short 30 minute Q&A call on Thursday at 6pm PST this week explaining exactly what coaching is all about and how it could be right for you!

Ask me how you can be a part of that call!!!!

I am accepting 5 applications to join Team Simply Fit and be an apprentice coach in my October 5th New Coach University Program.  Complete the application below to be considered for a spot on the team!!!!  

3 Day Refresh While Breast Feeding

Hey there! Happy Wednesday :) I just finished up the 3 Day Refresh from Beachbody and I wanted to share my journey with you!!

***I will begin by saying that I am not a doctor, nutritionist or any other professional type. I'm just a mom with a 3 month old baby who needs to get a kickstart on losing the baby weight. I would advise you to seek the advice of your medical professional if you have any concerns about following this program yourself while nursing***

Ok, now that we've got the fine print out of the way lets get to it.... Harper is 3 months old and I wish I could say I was farther along on losing the baby weight but I'm not, but thats ok. What matters is that I'm starting NOW. I have been working out and following the 21 Day Fix meal plans most of the time but I still had a couple bad habits that were leaving me bloated, sluggish and feeling yucky so I decided to do the 3 Day Refresh. It consists of three daily shakes, a fiber drink, plenty of filtered water, plus a wide array of fruits, veggies, and healthy fats throughout the day to keep your energy and metabolism going. 

Honestly it was not that bad! Heck I lost 5.5 pounds and 4 inches at my belly button so I'd say it was pretty darn GREAT!! Let me break it down for you :) To keep things simple (I have 2 kids at home...I need simple) and cost effective. I chose to eat the same thing all three days. This program does come with several great dinner recipes and tons of fruit, veggie and healthy fat options though so you'll never get bored!! So let me break down the meal plan, exercise and my modifications....

Morning
Upon waking I drank 10 oz of water to get my system going

Breakfast Vegan Chocolate Shakeology mixed with 1/2 of a banana. I also did cherries one day too.

Optional -  Morning tea. I drank Mothers Milk Tea to help with lactation

AM snack - Fiber Sweep drink that comes included in the kit. (No this will not leave you running for the bathroom. It is a gentle fiber drink that helps keep your digestion moving)

Lunch - 1 veggie, 1 healthy fat, 1 fruit, 1 Vanilla Fresh (provided in the kit)
    **One day I mixed the orange in the shake and the other I ate the strawberries whole. Either way is fine and both days I doubled the healthy fats since I'm nursing I wanted to make sure I had that.

PM Snack - 1 Healthy Fat and 1 Veggie.
**I went with 5 grilled asparagus then drizzled in 1 tsp coconut oil and cracked black pepper

Dinner- Spinach Salad with tomamtoes, 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 bell pepper, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 tsp olive oil dressing

***Each evening I did have one egg before bed. I felt that I needed some protein and that satisfied me and kept my tummy happy!

Exercise

So the program states that you can continue exercise but being that it was low calories I took it easy as I didnt want my milk supply to be effected. Day 1 I did some yard work in 100 heat so I'm calling that my workout lol. Day 2 I did T25 Speed 1.0 and day 3 I rested. I was feeling tired and felt that was what my body needed most.

Modifications & Whats next
So as I stated above my modifications included doubling the healthy fat each lunch and adding one egg each night before bed.

After this I am jumping right into the 21 Day Fix. I love the portion control and was of the program and it will continue to keep my results coming!!

My next accountability group is starting July 6th and I would love to have you join us!! And I'm limiting this to ONLY 5 WOMEN who are ready to seriously commit to seeing great results!!

For the month of July the 21 Day Fix Kickstart challenge pack is on sale. You can get both complete programs I am doing here and join us for lots of fun, friendship and results of your own!! If you're interested please fill out the application below or message me on Facebook!!

21 Day Fix Cookbook is HERE!!! Get ready to FIXATE!!

Sooooo you all know how I'm kinda OBSESSED with the 21 Day Fix right?!?!? I mean how could I NOT be?? It was the program that was a GAME CHANGER in my 50 pound weight loss and truly an eye opener to the way I was eating and feeding my family. We were eating healthy but just too much of  a good thing! YES you can eat too much veggies ;)

I started using the 21 Day Fix in a very, very basic way. Literally just filling my containers with proteins, veggies and carbs and dumping them out on my plate. I really wanted to learn the program before I started getting creative with recipes. But that didn't take long and I started making some REALLY great, family and kid approved recipes. So it never really felt like we were on a diet....because we AREN'T...its a lifestyle change! 

Last week on our Coach National Wake Up Call Autumn Calabrese (the creator of the 21 Day Fix and Fix Extreme) announced that she will be launching an official 21 Day Fix cook book called Fixate!! I was literally jumping up and down as I heard her speak and today I want to share with you some of the details!! Read to the bottom and find out how you can get some sneak peeks at the recipes in the book!!

Who is this cook book for?

"This book is for everybody," says Autumn. "You don't have to be graduates of 21 Day Fix or 21 Day Fix EXTREME®. You also don't have to be a chef or great in the kitchen. It's for anyone who wants to make healthier versions of the foods they love."

According to Autumn, "Everyone will use the book differently. For some, it will become their "go-to" cookbook they use every single day. Others may use it when they're going to a special event like a barbeque or party."

And in addition to all the amazing recipes, Autumn has also included a detailed checklist for her absolute must-have kitchen and pantry staples, as well as the basic utensils and tools that every cook needs.

What's Inside?

Inside Fixate you'll find a section for every possible meal you can imagine: simple breakfasts, on-the-go lunches, sit down dinners, soups, salads, as well as healthy snacks like kale chips and protein bars.

Autumn insisted that all the "on-the-go" lunch recipes be easy and fast for working moms. "I based all of the lunches off leftovers from dinner and even breakfast," she reveals. "I turned them into delicious, easy-to-make lunch recipes." Autumn adds, "I also included a few of my favorite Shakeology recipes—even some Fix-approved skinny cocktails."

And then there's the desserts. "I have a big sweet tooth so I was really pleased with them," she says. "I especially love the brownies (made with chick peas), peanut butter cookies and cake recipes, and the desserts are all gluten-free so absolutely everyone can enjoy them." 

How do I get it???

Well I'm glad you asked!! So this cook book isn't coming out until July, BUT I get my pretty little hands on it while I'm in Nashville at the Beachbody Summit Convention and I will be bringing home a copy for EVERY person who joins my June 15th challenge group and orders a 21 Day Fix or Fix Extreme challenge pack through me as their Beachbody coach This month!! How cool is THAT!!! 

REQUIREMENTS:
*Purchase your 21 Day Fix or Fix Extreme challenge pack through Me as your Beachbody coach
*Commit to replacing one meal a day with Shakeology
*Commit to a daily 30 minute workout
*Have fun and get amazing results!!!

Like I said I've come up with a few great recipes of my own already that will get you though your first round of the Fix and then just as you're ready to start round 2 you'll have an amazing cookbook right on your kitchen counter!!!

So click the button below, create your free account and then shoot me a message over at Facebook so I can get you ready to roll!! Oh...And I MIGHT just be previewing some of the actual recipes from the book on my Facebook page so make sure we are friends!!