Why you need a coach!

I don't know about you but EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I have gone on a weight loss journey I have been well.......alone. 

It wasn't until I got hooked up with Beachbody that I totally understood I didn't have to be alone! I had people cheering me on and checking in on me and I just sat in my room on the other side of the computer saying WOW people really care about me succeeding in my goals! I thought that it was magic. 

You see, I always went at my weight loss alone. I wanted a buddy but when I really got down to it I really HAD to do it on my own. I know most of you won't go straight up to someone out there and say "HEY! Will you cheer me on while I lose my weight!" Your friend says, "WHAT? Um no you weirdo!" But seriously isn't that what we all want? Someone to tell us that we are doing a good job and to notice things when we want them to? Or maybe to notice things that we cannot see. It's not unnatural to want someone to celebrate in your successes and to help you achieve that success!

So why do you need a coach? 

1.) To help you dig deep. 

My job is to help you figure out why and I mean the why that has more importance than you wanting  to get into your skinny jeans. 

2.) To keep you accountable.

Seriously! Only 10 percent of people starting out a fitness program on their own quit. Why? Because there is no one there watching them to make sure they follow through. If you quit it's no ones fault but your own but when you do you are left with this feeling of BLEH is what I like to call it. 

3.) To have a cheerleader on your side. 

I know that having someone there that will be next to you telling you how great a job you did with that workout or someone talking you through your struggles is IMPERATIVE for success. I know for a fact that weight loss journeys are more than just the weight loss. It always becomes about something more and there is a fear that comes when you start to lose the weight. Having someone in constant contact that understands is crucial for success. 

4.) You have someone to tweak your nutrition.

When you are going at it you always think that you are the one that knows what is best for you. While that is true I totally believe that to be true I also think that someone taking a non-judgemental look at what you are doing and eating can help you fix somethings in your diet. It could be as simple as maybe not eating so many carbs or giving up your candy every. single. night. I help to create a healthy balance to keep your weight loss and the weight lost and put you in maintenance. 

5.) You won't be alone. 

Like I said before, your weight loss journey is one that you go on alone. You might have a supportive husband or partner but eventually it will get kind of old. I know that talking to my husband as supportive as he is about all my healthy eating can be a burn out. I am a passionate person sometimes......ok all the time but sometimes you need to step out and think about how you might feel if they talked to you about cars or whatever they were interested in and passionate about ALL. THE. TIME. I don't know but i kind of zone out my husband when he talks obsessively about motorcycles ha ha ha ha. I'm just sayin'

I think everyone needs a coach to help get to where you want to be in your life. If it is business or fitness or anything really if there is a coach available take them up on their help who knows? You just might take yourself further than you have ever imagined going!

Where do you get MOTIVATION?

So, there I am at 154 and 125 pounds. The beginning of my journey (when I got cleared to exercise) to yesterday.

When I first starting taking an interest in before and after pictures I will be the first to admit that they were fake. That is, until I started my own journey to weight loss 3 TIMES. These pictures represent the struggle, the excitement, determination, hard work, and MOTIVATION.

The girl on the left never thought that she would see the girl on the right again. I was SO scared that I was going to be stuck with my "mom bod." I came from a place of negativity because I was self conscious and did not come from a place of confidence. I was SO insecure and DEVASTATED that I was back into my "old jeans." I saw reflections of me in the mirror and legit felt sad about how I looked. You can tell me all day that I just had a baby and I should enjoy motherhood but this "mom weight" was a struggle and while some women are all in the mom-ness I am just not one of those women. I did however know that it was going to take time to get close to where I wanted to be and I had the tools AND experience to get it done again so I DID grace myself with time.

The girl on the right has waited almost 9 months to get the weight off. It was not without struggle. December to February was TOUGH for me! I plateaued I was doing Body Beast and I got BIGGER in the arms and my hips were not moving. I took it upon myself to stop doing Body Beast and added in cardio with T25 and played around with 21 Day Fix workouts for strength and the cardio I believe was the KEY to my success. MY body needs cardio just as much as it needs strength training to get results. I listened to myself and I just did what my gut told me to do.

As a health coach people ALWAYS ask me where I find motivation to succeed AND to keep going once I had reached my goal. I have a few tips that may help you out!  

1.) Believe in the end result! 
I can't stress enough that even though there were plenty of days that I was not convinced that I would be the girl on the right, I believed OVERALL that I was going to get there. One day, I would get there. You may have your bad days but keep the end result in your mind. Visualize it! 

2.) Define short term goals and hit them! 
Saying that you want to lose 50 pounds is going to be a hefty goal. So break them down into scale and non scale victories. I made goals that I was going to go up in weight every week, or that I would eat clean for a whole week without cheats and that set my focus on being healthy which should be the end goal with a side effect of health being the vanity of losing the weight. 

3.) Remember your why!
WHY are you doing this? Write it down and keep it with you! When you make a goal to lose weight you should know exactly why you are doing it. There are going to be days when there is pizza (or insert not healthy food here) in your face and you are going to "forget" why you even started to try and lose weight because you are thinking about the now. THINK ABOUT THE END GOAL it can be either your big or small goal but think about how happy you are going to be when you get there and ALWAYS have a reason to start the thing. You need to have a vision of where you want your life to go and find a way there!

I'm going on VACATION!!!!!

When I got the invitation for this trip I was SO excited to be a part of it! I am one of 15 women that were exclusively chosen to make this trip because I was successful in making my business grow and I was growing a team so not only was I helping other people I am being rewarded for doing just that!!!!! I am seriously so excited!!!!!

Being a coach has change and challenged me in so many ways that I am consistently growing as a person and leader in my business. To be asked to come on this trip is an honor and I can't even believe that I get an all inclusive trip to go hangout for just working my business and helping others achieve their dreams!!!

So the trip is in a lodge in Pittsburg, there is availability for hiking and what not there I don't know if I will be going outside in the winter ha ha ha but it's available for us if we want to do it.

We will also have a hot tub, heated pool, food and drinks, and tons of space to spread out and bond with other women and men that are also going to be at the retreat. It is also going to be a training oppourtunity to learn from the people that are ahead of me in rank. Learning tips from the people is a GREAT reason to go! The training that we are going to do is going to be intense and we are going to be immersed with so much knowledge that I am definitely going to need a notebook ha ha ha!

I think that one of the biggest challenges being in the business that I am is that you are essentially by yourself because DUH it is your business, sometimes it makes it hard to grab that motivation by the horns and do the things that you are supposed to in this business when you are having a bad day or things really aren't working your way. I mean there is social media which is a great resource but being around like-minded people in this business is paramount if you are going to make it in this business!

I am so grateful for this opportunity and chance to be around others that have the same goal is going to fill the tank and keep me going!!!! I am soooooo so so so so excited and I can't wait to show you pictures of everything that we did while we are there learning to be able to help other people change their lives!!!!!!!

Snack Ideas for on the go

This is probably the easiest but most challenging meal of my day.......snacks. I mean there are so many things that you can eat but at the same time holy crap what the heck do I eat? SO I am dedicating this blog post to snacks! The tips on what to eat when you are stumped or on to go! I am also going to provide a recipe or 2 :)

Fruit - I mean it's pretty obvious, you just either cut it up or throw a piece of fruit in your bag and you are ready to go out the door and on your way I usually buy a bag of grapes take them off the stem and bag them individually. I don't count them I just throw enough in the bag to carry me over to my next meal. Typically though I eat a banana or an apple because they are so portable.

Nuts- These are great to have you can put them in the car already portioned out in a bag or you can buy the 100 calorie packs (they are never enough) I don't usually do nuts though because I tend to over eat them and then hate myself afterward so I usually don't do this but hey, it may work for you.

Yogurt - This is pretty portable too but you need to keep it cool so if you are in a rush this may not be the best option

Vegetables with hummus - This was one of my go to snacks for a long time. I would bring my cut up vegetables and my spicy hummus and would just eat it up at my desk. I REALLY enjoyed having these around and didn't feel guilty at all. Carrots, peppers, broccoli, snap peas. I mean you could also bring veggies only with you and those are a great filling snack without the hassle!

Shakeology - I usually use this as a snack replacement not a meal replacement so it is quick all I have to do is add water shake it up and drink it. It can't get much easier than that can it?

Energy bites - These are great and they are super easy to make and very portable. To make them all you will need is

1/2 c nut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 honey
1 scoop of chocolate shakeology or chocolate protein
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 c flaxseed
1 c oatmeal
3/4 water

Mix all together roll into a ball and refrigerate. 

1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter) 1 tsp vanilla 1/3 cup honey 1 scoop chocolate Shakeology 1 cup coconut flakes 1/2 cup ground flaxseed 1 cup oatmeal 3/4 cup water - See more at: http://iva-young.healthcoach.integrativenutrition.com/shakeologyno-bake-energy-bites#sthash.SDSlFaqF.dpuf

1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter) 1 tsp vanilla 1/3 cup honey 1 scoop chocolate Shakeology 1 cup coconut flakes 1/2 cup ground flaxseed 1 cup oatmeal 3/4 cup water - See more at: http://iva-young.healthcoach.integrativenutrition.com/shakeologyno-bake-energy-bites#sthash.SDSlFaqF.dpuf

Hopefully these options will make things a little bit easier for you to make some healthier choices this year :)

My pregnancy must haves SO far

I think every woman has their set of things that they NEED and enjoy using while pregnancy. This is what I have consistently been using since I have been pregnant and it has helped me feel as close to normal as you can while carrying a little nugget. So here we go! 

I know that most pregnancy is hormonal  but you can't help but want to do something about it so I did some internet research and I found this stuff. There IS some stuff out there that is VERY expensive, sorry I am not going to be paying no $119 for something I am going to put on my face for 5 seconds to then rinse down the drain. This stuff costs $22 you can order it online and you can also pick it up at Ulta. I also got the blemish cream and it has helped tame the hormonal acne as well and diminish some of the marks. The best part is, is that this stuff is all natural. :)

This is by far my OTHER favorite. I bought this a few weeks after I was able to start moving again and it is showing me how active or unactive I have been. The first few weeks I had it I was doing Turbofire and hit my 10,000 steps but sheesh it is really hard to get them. On a regular day I get between 5-7,000 steps. I am doing Chalean Extreme now with a little bit of Turbofire in there now. My body is actually telling me to slow down so I think the elliptical and I are going to be having 30 minute dates in the future......NOT my idea of fun, maybe Zumba? LOL All I know is that I need to get those 10,000 steps in there :)

I don't think I need to say more about this, I am not using this brand but a probiotic has been my LIFESAVER with this pregnancy! :)

I can't say enough about this stuff I LOVE it. I get all my vitamins and minerals and I am GOOD with that! I really love my shake I have been using it for the past 3 years and I am glad that I can continue to use it.

Oh hey! 5 days a week 30-45 minutes long and I get to keep my muscles? Need I say more?? NAH! You get the point!

Tummy butter, boobie cream and a leg cream i mean this combo is great they have a pregnancy combo pack for $30 and you can't beat that price considering these products are a bit on the hefty side. I do use as little as I can but it sure does go a long way. It is super moisturizing and super creamy I love love love this stuff!!!!!

That is pretty much all I have for now. I don't want to over do it with products anyway. But this is what I have been up to on the pregnancy front. One of these days is pregnancy brain will remind me to take pictures I will do a What I Ate Wednesday :) That way you can see what my "typical" diet is!


ENJOY :)

 

Turkey sausage, pepper, and potatoe

There are times when I cook dinner and I come up with a recipe well, not really I scour the internet for something and then make it my own or put my own spin on it. That's pretty much how I cook. I love mixing flavors and trying new things. Sometimes it doesn't work out but more often than not BAM I make my husband happy and as a chick who cooks healthy and can make her husband happy then you know very well that you have hit the jackpot right?!?!?! 

Photo courtesy of Hillshire Farms

So here it is! 

Turkey Keilbasa (the whole thing)
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
Garlic minced (as much as you would like) 
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
2-3 potatoes depending on the size


I first boil the potatoes. Once those are done I slice the turkey keilbasa and the vegetables. I get the keilbasa going and then throw the peppers in and lastly the potatoes and seasoning with garlic. I toss that around and put it on low heat and let all the flavors meld together. After about 8-10 minutes I take it out and BLOOP you have a one bowl meal! I loved it and I will def add it to my rotation. I mean, it's not the HEALTHIEST thing that you could eat but if you want to make it healthier you can add some real turkey sausage in there or add chicken to it and you should be pretty golden!

I hope you enjoy!!!!

What is the #1 reason people fail?

People don't see weight loss results for many reason but it all boils down to just a few things really when they are all lumped together.

The number one reason that people don't see weight loss results is EXCUSES. Excuses come in all forms but they are still just what they are excuses.

There are internal excuses - those kinds of excuses are the ones that you tell yourself such as
"You aren't going to see results."
"Why are you even doing this anyway nothing is going to change."
"Girl, you have been this big for so long you aren't going to quit AGAIN so you might as well save yourself the trouble"

These types of excuses are toxic and can hinder your progress and even stop it if you let your mind take control over your actions. You should always know why you are doing the things that you are doing. Weight loss in my opinion should be a GOAL. When you set out to make goals you HAVE to know why you are wanting to attain or achieve that goal. If you do things blindly without focus you are going to lose the motivation and drive to complete the things that you want or you think that you wanted. Weight loss is a journey whether it is a 5 or 150 pound journey that you are taking. It is isn't easy but it will sure be worth it in the end.

Then there are external excuses which include:
I am too busy with work.
I don't have time for my family already as it is.
My family doesn't support what I am doing.
I don't have the money to eat healthy or the time to make all my meals.
I work so late there is no way I am going to fit in a workout.
I work the late shift how the heck am I going to cook and prepare all these healthy meals?

These types of excuses can be masked as REASONS why you aren't ready or willing to make the change that you think you want. At the end of the day if you can't reach your goals because of one of the excuses that you are making you have no one to blame but yourself. We are all responsible for our actions and choices that we make in this life. I am a firm believer that if you want the change in your life you should be ready and willing to give whatever change it is that you want 100% of your time and attention and not forget why it is that you are doing whatever it is to begin with.

Tips to get what you want:

Leave the excuses at the door. If weight loss is what you want than weight loss is what you will get if you leave the excuses alone.

Write down your goals for weight loss and what you are going to do to achieve those goals.

Write down solutions to the obstacles that you see in your way.

Write down WHY you are doing this.

Write down a plan to get to your goals and take it one step at a time one commitment at a time.

Insanity.......

SO! I remember posting a few days ago that I gained weight and inches in my upper things. I have a pear shaped body and most of my fat goes in the rear end hips and thighs. Tummy is the second place that all of that crap goes.

I noticed it happening because my shorts were fitting CRAZY tight around my legs. Once upon a time ago I hated the thought of wearing shorts and for that reason alone I got so excited when shorts didn't hug my thighs :) I don't want to buy new clothes, I want to wear the ones that I already have because I spent REALLY good money on my clothes and buying a bigger size than I normally wear for me is being okay with getting bigger and if I go there than I am just going to keep letting these little things compound right?

I just want to make it clear that I don't really care about how much I weigh, I sincerely care about my clothes fitting me and not having to buy a bigger size. Now don't get me wrong I am not a one size fits size. I have to buy a medium sometimes to get a better fit and that is okay with me I just don't want to be the bigger size ALL the time. I understand vanity sizing and all that marketing bologna but I can't stress enough I don't want to get bigger because I was already THERE.

I knew that Body Beast and the way that I was eating was not enough for me or maybe I was truly bulking and that's okay but my thighs got bigger and that is not something I want to compromise LOL. If you are a girl reading this I hope you understand lol.

This is where I started. THIS is where my journey began and THIS is NOT me. My weight doesn't define me but my confidence does and THIS girl is not confident. THIS girl had issues with her body, with her mind and she was scorned and in pain. This picture shows a girl who at that very moment decided to make a change in her life. SHE was going to be healthy and she was going to look like she once had before because she always said that kids will not stop her from having what she wanted.

Little did I know that I would be here today standing tall and confident and in love with who I am as a person inside and out. I am healthy and I LOVE that what I feel on the inside is showing on the outside. I am taking care of myself in more ways than one. This was me then and I want to stay where I am now and grow into a more loving and wiser person than I am today I want to keep moving forward and not looking back.

My thighs not fitting into those shorts while it may seem vain and insecure or whatever negative thoughts one would think it truly showed me that I was reverting into a life that I don't want to see again. It may have been my thighs but I was eating poorly, drinking a lot more than a glass or two of wine and it was not going to church. I was sliding backwards in all areas of my life and my body was telling me otherwise. So I started changing things.

I wake up early and pray to God and thank Him for all He has done. I workout and I am now currently doing Insanity and I am in LOVE with it! I also eat better I am writing down what I eat to keep accountable and I am doing my Bible Study and Bible reading everyday.

It is a great Bible study if you are interested in it. There is SO much I want to blog about in the coming days and I am glad that I am off work so that I can share with you all! I can't wait!!!

Why it works!

I have been drinking this stuff called Shakeology for over a year now and I can say nothing bad about it! I love it so much and so glad that it is part of my daily life! I don't have cravings anymore, I have been able to maintain my weight, I don't get bloated and best of all I know that I am giving my body all natrual ingredients to keep it running at top performance. Another great thing is that I HAVE NOT BEEN SICK this winter or the one prior to that! I know that with out it I would have to supplement my body with so much more. I don't have to worry about OMEGA-3's fish oil and a multi-vitamin it's all in there! Can't beat that! :) See for yourself.

1 Full Month of CSF

Well the month of Jan it done and over and I have been on the CSF program for about 6 weeks now and I am really seeing some serious changes in my body. I can totally attribute that to my diet. I am seriously eating a BUNCH more than I ever have in my life. I seriously thought that my portions were good and they were I was just indulging too much. Everything is slimming out and I have not cut anything out of my diet.

I have eaten chicken wings and my microwave popcorn that I love so much but I have it in LESS moderation than I was having it before. I think one day I ate 4 bags in a sitting because I was watching television and it just tasted so good. Anyway I have learned even more about portion control and the true meaning of Clean Eating! I can really say that I am happy about that and the more I learn the more well rounded of a person I become. I have started a FB challenge for Clean Eating and I am totally excited about it. It has grocery lists recipes and everything it's going to be pretty cool! The best part is that I have the most challengers ever and it's FREE so I know people are eating that up! I love love love it when people want to get healthy! It makes me so happy and even if it doesn't click the first time around most people that come across my path eventually get it and create their own way with it which pleases me and gives me such a sense of warmth inside. That's really what it is all about taking in the information and making it your own and doing what works for you :). I only have my experience to what works but have tons of general information that you can plug into and make your own.

So I digressed BIG time there. This past weekend I had the pleasure of joining the Cathy Savage Camp where we learned a TON about competitions. How to pose, walk, eat, what to do, when to do it and we got an assessment from Cathy herself which was really awesome! It was totally worth the money and I was able to hang out with some super awesome people. I mean you would think (well me being me) that you are going to COMPETE against these women and it should be ugly because this one won a world title or that one placed in her show but it wasn't catty AT ALL. I have met some of the SWEETEST women in one place. The girls weren't even this nice in the Army or the Coast Guard, but living with people is a totally different monster to tackle lol (benefit of the doubt). If you want discipline and don't want to do a beachbody program because you are more into the gym I would totally say that this is the way to go :) Well here are my end of the month progress pic. Enjoy!

Feb 4th Challenge Group!

I have been hosting challenge groups for over a year now and these groups have had soooo much success I am hosting another one! If you are wondering what a challenge group is here is some information!

What is a Fitness Challenge Group?
A Challenge Group is a small group of like minded people all working together to help each other succeed in their weight loss journey.

The fact is – I could sell you P90X or Shakeology, earn some money for referring you to the program, and send you on your journey alone without a clue as to what eating healthy and doing this program really entails and who likes to workout by themselves without any support? Many coaches do this but that is NOT what I am all about! I want YOU to succeed. I want you to feel good about yourself and I want you to reach your goals and see your potential and hopefully change how you view food and get the word DIETING out of your vocabulary! Chances are without a coach, and without that support group there to hold you accountable, you are likely to fall through the cracks and never see changes in your life. Challenge Groups help people get the BEST results possible.

What is my commitment as a Challenger?
The commitment is 60 or 90 days of your preferred Beachbody workout program, Shakeology every day and a private Facebook accountability page for daily mini challenges, support and motivation.
–You do everything at home, on your time and your schedule.
–Group interaction is all done on a private Facebook group where the team posts each day.


What do I need to do to get started?
It’s SO easy!!!!
Contact me for upcoming Challenge Group dates. (This way if youhave to save up to get a program we can get you schedule for a future challenge).   THEN

Order your Challenge Pack through one of our coaches.


What is a Challenge packs?
A Challenge Pack includes the following

• Workout program of your choice
• Your first 30-day supply of Shakeology^®—The Healthiest Meal of the Day^®, on an autoship program that ensures timely delivery of Shakeology to your doorstep every month.
• A FREE 30-day trial membership in the Team Beachbody^® Club
• FREE standard shipping!

******Prices vary depending on what workout program you choose.********




If you are interested please fill out the form below.

I want to make sure that I can offer you exactly what you are looking for in a challenge group! I want you to have success and with that I need to understand your goals and where you want to go in your journey!!!!!


Challenge Group Form - CLICK HERE