Put Some Jingle in Your Pocket: Cash for Christmas

Tis the season where we tend to be a bit too in love with the idea of "giving" and over-extend ourselves. How many times have you paid for Christmas using credit cards, thinking, "Oh, I'll pay it off come tax time" then never pay back that debt? I know I sure have! This year is going to be different though! With a promise made to myself to pay down debt as fast as possible, I'm not going to dig even deeper into that hole. That's why this year, we will be paying cash for Christmas! I owe all of that to Beachbody, and I want YOU to be able to have the same opportunity!

When you think of seasonal holiday jobs, what comes to mind?

Retail?

Hours that take too much time away from family?

Wages that barely cover the cost of gas to get to/from work?

Why bother with all of that when I am looking for 5 people to join my amazing team of health and fitness coaches to earn an additional $500 this holiday season. Wouldn't you love to be able to enjoy the holidays without racking up that credit card bill? Plus, you are earning extra by helping people! You get to stay motivated reaching your own goals and help others along the way. Tis the season, right?

So who am I looking for?

I want someone who is MOTIVATED. I am NOT your boss, I am your mentor!

Someone who can give me ONE hour a day to expand their business.

People with an upbeat attitude! No negative Nancy's here!

Ladies and gentlemen who are determined to succeed.

And let's face it, I want folks around me who want to have FUN!

This sounds all fine and dandy, but I don't have any experience!

That's ok! You don't have to be a fitness or nutrition expert. Nor do you have to be in the best shape of you life. You don't even have to be this uber fitness person who knows every detail of everything fitness related!

As a part of the #1 Team in the Beachbody organization, I just want you to have a desire and willingness to learn. If you give me one hour a day, I can teach you how to become a successful Beachbody coach and earn that extra cash. Trust me, I learned everything I know from the top coach in the company!

Since this is such a great chance to learn from the best of the best, it's going to come down to picking those that sign up first. Remember, only 5 spots are available! One on one training with me will start immediately, and on December 1st you will begin a formal training program. (All of this is STILL a part of that ONE hour a day!) 

Fill out the application below so you can start earning Cash for Christmas!

There are tons of Wufoo features to help make your forms awesome.

New Addition and Maternity Leave

At 4:30am on Tuesday, July 29, 2014, my water officially broke. Finally!! Nearly 40 long weeks later, we have action!! I labored at home for several hours, leaving us with the hour drive to the hospital. That was fun... Long story short, by 9:18pm, our family had increased by one!

In active labor at this point.

Meet Miss Hillary Jane! She entered the world screaming, but calmed down long enough for an adorable photo. She weighed 7lbs 10oz and was 20 1/4in long. I will be honest in saying we were totally expecting a boy, so she was a HUGE surprise!

Miss Hillary Jane

 Now our world is filled with pink, purple, and all things girly! 

Sleeping during tummy time

I am loving my maternity leave and being able to watch her grow a little bit every day. It's so crazy to see the changes she makes from one day to the next. At 7 weeks old, she is getting to the point where she wants to smile and interact more. So what do we do while Dad is at work? Watch the 21 Day Fix infomercial! Girlfriend loved learning a bit about what Mom does (see that smile?!).

Lazy Sunday with my love

Initially, Mike and I were super nervous about my nine week maternity leave. We have always used my income from Beachbody to pay off debt. Our steady paychecks from working traditional jobs pay for day living/bills, so it's nice to have supplemental income to chip away at those loans at a faster rate. 

Well, lucky for us, I am able to work from home while watching our little princess. I continue to run challenge/accountability groups, while helping others reach their health and fitness goals. Having this once supplemental income be enough to subsidize my paychecks takes a huge weight off of our shoulders. We are continuing with our usual bills, as well as medical bill incurred while hospitalized. All from the comfort of my own home, while loving on a newborn. I am BEYOND lucky for this opportunity!

Maternity Paychecks

Now I don't show this to brag, as there are many coaches earning far more than me. I'm displaying this so you can see what is possible. What would you do with an extra $200 a week? What about more? Would you choose to stay home with your kids? Travel? Pay off debt? I am able to enjoy my maternity leave thanks to Beachbody. Then, once that is over, I will continue to pay off debt. 

Even greater than this, I am helping people change their lives! With each of these paychecks, it shows the individuals who are choosing to live a healthy lifestyle. They are eating well, exercising, and enjoying life. (Seriously... they tell me they this!) 

If you have a passion for health and fitness and want to change lives, Beachbody is the company for you! Take control and be your own boss! I promise, you won't regret it!!

Apply here to be a coach on my team!

Reality Check

So here's the deal. I've been MIA. So much for being a source of motivational support. If I couldn't motivate you via Facebook, it wasn't going to happen. How crappy of me is that?! Then I realized…

My reality check was like a kick to the head. How am I suppose to be the best person of influence/coach/source of accountability if I'm not present? NOT POSSIBLE! But here's what's going to go down in the next few paragraphs: updates about how I've been, what I've been doing, and my promise to NOT be a slacker. Sound ok?



1) The 21 Day Fix while pregnant: I SUCKED at it. Yup, totally admitting it. My intolerance for a lot of foods took control over me. Pregnancy is HARD. I never expected it to be like this. I thought I would be able to continue eating right, working out, and keeping slender while ONLY my belly grew. Why didn't anyone slap me on the forehead like they do in the V8 commercials?  I honestly try my hardest, but man, sometimes a girl just needs a bowl of honey nut Cheerios! I also am unable to exercise daily, especially now towards the end. Some days after being on my feet for 8-10 hours , wrestling giant dogs and grumpy cats non-stop, I would just shut down. On the other hand, I consider all the walking I've done while at work to have helped GREATLY!

How I felt during every workout

2) Pregnancy status: At almost 36 weeks pregnant, I am still feeling pretty decent. I tend to get swelling in my feet if I sit for too long (they look great when I'm up walking/moving!). Today marked the day where I officially had to remove my wedding and engagement rings. I think I did pretty well with that one! The baby has been trying to bust out via elbowing and kneeing my sides. That's fun. Not. We are getting to the point where the baby's room is almost done which is exciting! The best part was doing all of the laundry. That smell + a room full of clean diapers = heavenly :)

An awesome onesie a fellow coach sent me. Couldn't be any more perfect!

3) Beachbody business: A couple of weeks ago I officially made the status of One Star Diamond. What does that mean? It says that not only am I helping individuals achieve their health and fitness goals, but I am also helping other coaches grow their businesses. It's a HUGE accomplishment that makes me SO proud to have such an amazing team. Definitely couldn't do it without them!!! I'm getting ready to start another 21 day challenge group on Monday, as well as a coach basics group. What is a coach basics group? It is a close Facebook group where myself and a few other coaches teach new coaches how to be rockstars. I've never hosted with other coaches before, so I'm loving the prep for it in the mixing of different mindsets and leadership skills. We are going to produce some STELLAR coaches!

Two One Star Diamond Coaches + Two Diamond Coaches = Kick Ass Coach Basics Group

4) Why I'm not going to be a slacker anymore: I realized that more than even though I'm pregnant, I'm still a coach! I still REALLY want to inspire, motivate, and help people achieve their health and fitness goals. Even though I feel like I'm being pulled a million directions at once right now, nothing is more important than making people feel better about themselves. I can put my emotions on hold to help people realize that achieve their dreams IS possible, and I SO look forward to being someone's positive role model. My goal for the month of July is to help at least 15 people start with their journey towards a healthier lifestyle. Want to help this mama-to-be achieve her goals? Shoot me an email, comment below, or find me on Facebook! I'd LOVE to help, but remember… no quick fixes, no magic pills, no weird wraps. It's all about hard work and dedication, but I PROMISE to keep you on point :)

Why Shakeology is the Bee's Knees

First of all, what the heck is Shakeology?

Nutrition Simplified

Shakeology is a MEAL REPLACEMENT shake that is the brainchild of the Beachbody company. The biggest misconception is that it's a protein shake. NOPE! It's so much more than that! It is jam packed with vitamins and nutrients that we (as crazy busy folks) typically don't include in our daily diets. The shakes include probiotics, digestive enzymes, antioxidants, preboiotics, vitamins, minerals, amino acids… the list goes on!  Shakeology is SO nutrient-dense, it's like eating SIX salads… except it tastes like a chocolate peanut butter cup or strawberry banana smoothie or snickerdoodle cookie. YES! There are special ways to mix up the shakes that have them tasting like dessert! 

Why do I love Shakeology?

I'll be real with you, I use to have HORRIBLE eating habits. I was always feeling like I needed a nap, was bloated, had crappy skin/hair/nails, felt sluggish while working, was irregular (yup, I'm talking about poop people!), and was extremely moody. So what changed? I started eating healthier and replacing one meal or snack a day with chocolate Shakeology.

By making this change, I noticed a significant difference in my appearance (longer nails, clearer skin, and less damage to my hair), had more energy, and felt more stable mentally… though my husband will probably argue with that one. I also pooped every single day. That may not seem impressive to many people, but as someone who use to only poo a few times a week, it was like the skies opened up and heaven rained down upon me!

Why am I so PRO-Shakeology?

It's an easy solution! Why stop by a fast food chain, coffee house, or gas station to get breakfast on the go when you can have a meal loaded with a day's worth of vitamins and nutrients for the same price? There's no need to skimp on nutrition because of convenience. Seriously, throw a scoop of Shakeology into a shaker cup, mix with water or almond milk, and go! If you're not in a hurry, throw in some spices, fruit, ice, peanut butter, etc to change up the flavor and keep you from getting bored. Personally, I'd rather have a glass of Shakeology keeping me full and giving me energy vs. grabbing a package of mini donuts and soda that has me feeling hungry and ready for a nap within an hour.

Shakeology is also completely NATURAL. Unlike almost every single other meal replacement shake available, it's not bogged down with artificial ingredients and chemicals just to keep the cost down. It tastes good naturally! It is absolutely AMAZING the way you can feel when you give your body the ingredients that were made to fuel it efficiently. 

Most of my friends think I'm nuts when I talk about how much I love this stuff. Seriously,  how could changing one thing make me feel so amazing? I can talk about it until I'm blue in the face, but until you actually EXPERIENCE what Shakeology can do for YOU, you will never know!

I encourage you to at least TRY Shakeology to see how it can benefit you. Yes, even those of you that claim you hate "drinking" your meals. How about you "drink" your snack instead? (Yup, I'm being a smartass…) I ALWAYS have samples available if you'd like to give it a shot prior to committing to purchasing an entire bag. What could be easier on you (and your wallet) than trying Shakeology?! ;)

Comment below or e-mail me for more information and sample flavors!

 

Mid-Week Update

A few days ago I wrote about how I was planning on doing a modified version of the 21 Day Fix to avoid excessive pregnancy weight gain. I made some changes based on how my pregnancy has been going, as well as to keep myself sane. So how have I been doing? I'd give myself a 5. That's right, a 5. 

Before the tiny human started growing inside of me, I was on point with my nutrition about 90% of the time. My husband and I would always have one date night a week where all rules went out of the window, and then we would go get ice cream! I stuck to my exercise plan and made no excuses. Sure, I'd have slip ups, but I had pretty good willpower for being a self-diagnosed emotional eater with absolutely NO control.

Now that the tiny human has taken up residence in my abdomen (sometimes it feel like it's sitting on my bladder, other times it feels up in my ribs…), it's like all of my willpower has evaporated. There's no better word to describe it.

So here's what's gone down:

Monday was great. Stuck with the meal plan 100%. My only probably was choking down the vegetables. Since Day 1, the tiny human has not approved of plain vegetables or chicken. If the veggies are on a sandwich or covered in ranch dressing, it's happy. If the chicken doesn't taste like chicken, it's happy. Otherwise, the gag reflex is on point. So I choked down the veggies and made the best of gagging through my meals.

Tuesday wasn't so bad. My coworker turned 50, so another coworker brought in her famous homemade cake. I ate a piece. Yeah, remember me talking about my willpower evaporating? While most folks went back for two pieces, I stuck with my one. That has to count for something, right? 

Wednesday was TERRIBLE! Absolutely nothing sounded good to eat. I had my meal plan sitting in front of me, food already prepared, and I gagged at the thought of it. Seriously. What the heck?! What did sound good? Hummus. I ate small portions of hummus throughout the day and survived. For dinner, I had some oatmeal with cinnamon and a glass of milk. 

Today? Well, today isn't quite over yet, but I'm still in the phase where nothing sounds good. I thought pregnant woman were suppose to be wanting all kinds of awesome food? For me, it's racking my brain for something that the thought of doesn't make me ill. I'm calling bullshit…

So what would you do in this situation? Choke down the foods or find something relatively healthy that is tolerable? I'm at a total loss!

As for my exercise schedule, it's been pretty good! On Tuesday, I crashed as soon as I got home from work, so I made Wednesday a double day. The modifier with the program is excellent! I try to keep up with the trainer as best as I can, but I don't have the stamina to be hardcore 100% of the time. I'm chalking that one up to decreased lung space and 20 extra pounds lingering kind of all over. At least that's one thing that I KNOW I can finish every day. Or at least have a double day if I accidentally miss a day.

Post workout glare

Since I am still struggling with eating well, it makes me beyond thankful that I no longer have to take heparin injections so that I may now enjoy a daily Shakeology. I pair one shake a day with some extra folic acid, and I'm set! This way, I know I'm getting one AMAZINGLY healthy meal that's like eating SIX salads. Choking a salad down is tough. There's no choking Shakeology down. It's liquid gold!! (But not like that crap they talk about in the Velveeta commericials.) Shakeology is a huge blessing for me right now, and I am so thankful that I found it six months ago!

Enjoying snuggles and Shakeology

Pregnancy and the 21 Day Fix

Let me just stop and take a moment to reflect on how HORRIBLE my eating habits have been for the past month. 

It all started when I went to Florida to visit Mike's dad. Talk about amazing food! I let everything slide and ate whatever I wanted. Returning to Indiana meant coming back to reality, but now I had tasted the sweet, sweet temptations… and all hell was about to break loose!

Huge Ice Cream Sunday in Florida

So after we got home, Mike went right back to his healthy eating of loads of veggies, fruit, and protein. I, on the other hand, kept wanting all of the yummy splurge meals we had while away. Sure, I'd snack on fruits and carrots while eating a turkey sandwich. Those healthy meals weren't as frequent as they should have been, though! Indulging in pancakes, ice cream, pizza, and french fries got pretty common!

Healthy vs. Unhealthy Dinner

Realistically, I'm pregnant. Who cares if I gain weight?

Umm… me?!!!

I had been on a gradual incline at all of my previous OB appointments. I felt ok but large in the belly. Go figure! Now I am getting to the point where my face looks fuller, my arms aren't as tone, my pants are tighter in my thighs, and I'm getting my saddlebags back. Oh hell no! This has to STOP before it gets any worse!

This ridiculous weight gain is what lead me to do the 21 Day Fix while pregnant. While the program is a diet and exercise plan, it's main focus is helping folks deal with portion control. Basically, it's screaming my name! I have been doing some of the workouts on my own (pretty much when I'm not exhausted) but thought the nutrition portion should best be left until post-baby. I mean heck, this is my time to let loose. 

21 Day Fix Program

Except I let loose a little too much.

Therefore, tomorrow I will be diving in to this awesome program! 

So how does it work, especially considering I'm pregnant? When you purchase the program, you are given an exercise schedule to match up with the dvds that you received. You're also given an eating plan that tells you how many containers you can eat per day based on your caloric needs. The containers are color-coded which makes meal planning super easy. 

21 Day Fix Containers

After calculating how many calories I should be eating a day, I figured out how many containers I get. It really is WAY less intense than it sounds.  For the program, I get to eat between 1800-2099 calories a day. That's right, loads of HEALTHY calories to help this tiny human grow! 

This means:

5 Green containers

3 Purple containers

5 Red containers

4 Yellow containers

1 Blue container

1 Orange container

5 Teaspoons (for oils, peanut butter, etc)

That is a LOT of food folks!! Plus, it's all nutritious… something the tiny human will thank me for!

I made my weekly meal plan to help break it down even more.

21 Day Fix Meal Plan

You might notice this doesn't follow the allotment to a T. While I do get 3 Yellow containers a day, one is to limit their milk intake to three times a week. The tiny human has me going through about a gallon a week, so I had to be realistic. I am knocking it down and replacing some with water, but I want that daily milk intake. If my body says I need it, I'm going to listen! That's why I'm mixing it with my Shakeology every day.  The orange containers are dressings, nuts, etc. Three times a week, you are allowed to replace them with something small and sweet, like chocolate covered raisins. Since the tiny human has intensified my sweet tooth, I'm allowing a small daily snack to keep myself at bay. I would much rather allow myself a small splurge than go nuts and eat a pint of ice cream. Which has been my usual routine. I am also not eating all of my teaspoons, as I usually never cook in oil. (Mike hates it, but I throw that stuff in a dry skillet and pray for a small amount of smoke!) 

So there you have it. That's how a pregnant lady plans on doing the 21 Day Fix! I will also add that most of the exercises will have to be modified, as I cannot do any ab work. If it calls for me to lay on my belly, I'll do some yoga stretching instead. That should help me in a few more months!

I will definitely be sure to keep my progress updated. And just to avoid confusing/criticism, I am NOT doing this program to lose weight! I am doing this program to get myself back on track, watch my portions, limit my sweets, and eat more veggies! What I've put on is what I will have to deal with until post-tiny human. However, if I can keep it from piling on, I am sure as hell going to try!