If It's Still In Your Mind...It's Worth Taking The Leap

This particular blog post is one that has been in the works - mentally - for a while. I knew today was coming up. I knew what I wanted to say. But, I was searching for the perfect title for the post. And then, a fellow Coach posted this pic to her Facebook feed and I knew that was it. It summed up everything I wanted to say.

"If it's still in your mind...it's worth taking the leap." 

As many of you know, 2 years ago, my husband was out of work, I was a stay-at-home-mom to 6 month old twins and we were broke. I had been a Beachbody customer for years & the idea of Coaching had been in my mind for MONTHS. Part of me though it'd be a cool thing to try. Part of me thought "don't waste your time or money...you're going to fail at it." But, I just couldn't get it out of my head. Trust me - I tried. I didn't want to think about it. It just kept popping up.

I received some money from Mother's Day as a gift. The shopaholic in me wanted to hit the mall ASAP to buy shoes or some makeup. But a voice in my head kept saying "Coach. Coach. Coach." I call it God. Call it a higher power. Call it intuition. Call it destiny. Call it whatever you believe in. So, a little begrudgingly, I took my money - that I'd much rather be spending on other things - and signed up to become a Coach. I will be 100% honest. I had no idea what I was getting into. I figured I'd do it for a few months, say "I tried" and then throw in the towel and quit. Two years ago - I took that leap...

As months went on, I started attending local events & the positive energy I felt from fellow Coaches was infectious. I always left meetings with a smile on my face and a laser focus with what I wanted to do. I started setting goals. I started building my team. I started expanding my network. Has it been all sunshine and roses? No. Like any job or business, there's good days and bad days. But those good days are SO GOOD and they outnumber those few bad days. 

Beachbody had helped my physically. Shakeology daily & my at home workouts have helped me shed the baby weight - and then some. But more important than that, Beachbody has given me freedom in a job that I never had before. I don't have to request vacation days. I can work from anywhere - my couch, an airplane, in the waiting room of a dr's office, sitting outside in the sun, in the car...literally anywhere....and at any time. I get to choose who I want to work with. And the best part is that I don't have to give up any time with my kids to do this. I knew when we started a family that I wanted to be at home. But, when that time came, we had no idea how much of a financial impact that would have. Our family literally doubled in size and our income got cut in half. Now I can be at home with my kiddos & work before they get up or when they nap. It's truly the best of both worlds.

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in my car. I received a text from my upline sponsor, Brittnae, thanking me for all of my hard work. I took a second. Looked down at where I was sitting and immediately responded back with a "thank you for getting me involved in this business because I would literally not be sitting where I am right now if it wasn't for you." Last fall, my CR-V, which was a 1998, finally was getting to the point where, to pass inspection, we were going to have to put more into it than it was worth. I NEEDED a new car. I knew the exact one I wanted (because I had put it on my PUSH Goal list for the year). As I was texting Brittnae, I was sitting in my Honda Pilot. The SUV I've wanted since it got released. And I can say with 100% certainty, that owning that vehicle would not be possible without Beachbody. Earning enough money in a week to pay for a car payment may not sound like much to some, but for us, it's HUGE. When I see that car, it's not just the car I wanted. When I look at it, it reminds me of everyone I've worked with these past 2 years. The people who have made a commitment to themselves to change their lives and get healthy. It reminds me of all of the amazing people in my challenge groups. It reminds me of my team. 

I have been able to meet the most amazing people. Travel to places I've never been. Do things I never expected to do. Never in a million years did I think I'd still be doing this 2 years later. 

It's been a wild ride - lots of up and a few downs - but I am thankful daily that I took a chance...that I took that leap...and I owe it to this girl right here... Brittnae - thanks for sticking by me & being there for me. You're a mentor, a friend, a sister :)

If you think that you're ready to take the leap with this amazing opportunity, let's chat to see if it's the right fit for YOU!!!

My Mama

My mama. Some of you know her as Mary. Some of you know her as Mrs. Shannon. Some of you know her as Miss Mary. Some of you don't know her at all. But, I want to preface this post with a heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you who have shown us support as my mom has battled Stage 3 endometrial & uterine cancer.

As I look at myself & my life - there is no doubt that my mom has had a profound influence on where I am and what I'm doing. 

With fitness: my mom was always active. She had numerous Jane Fonda & Joanie Greggains VHS tapes that she'd workout to all the time. And right by her side - me. I watched my mom workout and perhaps the most influential part is that she never made it seem like work. It was fun for her. Something she enjoyed doing. Something she enjoyed getting me involved with. She had a body that moved and she was thankful for it. Exercise was a privilege, not a chore. Thirty some years later, here I am. Fitness Coach & Fitness Instructor. I used to workout only when I could be alone. It was my "me time" where I just zone out. And yes, depending on the workout now, that's sometimes still the case. My kids would get bored watching mommy run on the treadmill for 5 miles. But, if it's a day where I'm popping in a DVD, I bring them into the room with me & encourage them to participate. I want to instill the same thoughts into their head that my mom did with me. Exercise is a privilege. A healthy body is not something to be taken for granted. 

With my obsession with make up: this was something that also started at a very young age. My mama had a VHS from Lynda Carter - yes, Wonder Woman - called Secrets To The Perfect Make Up. I'm surprised I didn't wear that tape out. My mom would give me all of her old make up, put me in front of the TV with a mirror, let me watch the tape & do my thing. She'd let me experiment with all the different colors & try new things. If we were friends in elementary or middle school, there's a chance you did this video with me at a sleepover or on a Saturday afternoon. I'm not a very creative person - artistically speaking. But, when it came to make up - it always fascinated me. It was never about covering up flaws...it was always about bringing out & highlighting your best features. I could sit around all day in Sephora or Ulta and just play. 

My mom has always supported me. When I told her I wanted to go to college as a Theater major, she supported me. When I wanted to switch my major from Theater to Nursing, she supported me. When I wanted to switch my major from Nursing to Business Management, she supported me. When I wanted to run a half marathon 6 months after giving birth to twins via c-section, she told me to go for it. When I told her I was going to become a Beachbody Coach, she was thrilled. No matter what I've done in life, no matter how sane or insane the choice I was making, she's always supported me. 

And now it's my turn to show my mom some extra support - and you can join in too!!! Next month, I'm running my 3rd half marathon. Perhaps my craziest running decision to date because of the amount, or lack thereof, of training time & also the time of year. I don't like to go outside in the summer to get the mail, let alone run 13.1 miles. But, this race is about more than that. It's about doing something hard. Something that pushes me far outside of my comfort zone. It's about running those miles for my mama because I know she'd do the same for me.

As you probably know, my mom's cancer treatment over the past few months was successful. Earlier this year, she was declared cancer free. However, the doctors wanted her to go through another round of chemo just to make sure all of the cancer cells were gone. This round of chemo will be more intense. She will lose her hair this time & will feel more ill/rundown. This has not been a fun process for her to go through. She has her good days and her bad days. But I can't tell you how important all of your thoughts, prayers, cards, phone calls, texts, etc. have been to her. She's so encouraged by all of the love and support. Going through this second round of chemo isn't something she wants to do. But, she is doing it because we want her here. 

She's now 76 years old. And other than this stupid cancer & a little arthritis, she's in fantastic shape. I will consider myself lucky if I'm in as good of shape at age 50 as she is at 76. 

I've decided to start a little campaign called Miles For Mary & I encourage you all to get involved. This is all about getting up & moving. Getting as many people involved as possible. So, whether you're a runner, a walker or maybe you're taking a leisurely family stroll around the neighborhood, all I ask is that you take a picture during/after your walk/run and post it. If you're on Facebook, tag me in the post so that I can see the pic. If you're on Instagram, tag me in the post & use the hashtag #milesformary on the pic. I want to be able to show my mom all of the pics of everyone walking and running in her honor. I know this will bring such a huge smile to her face. I created a shirt with the #milesformary hashtag on it & I'll be wearing it during my half marathon next month. If you'd like to buy one too, you're more than welcome to! There are unisex t-shirts, ladies tank tops & youth t-shirts available. 

Unisex Tshirts click HERE
Ladies tank top click HERE
Youth Tshirt click HERE

Thank you all again for your outpouring of support - it truly has been a blessing to us!!!

Chalene Johnson's PiYo - COMING SOON!!!

The news a lot of us have been waiting for finally became official this week!!! 

If you follow Chalene Johnson, you know that she's been hinting at this for a while now. We knew she was going to have another workout program coming to DVD and everyone kind of "knew" what it was going to be...we just had to wait for the official word.

And we got it!!!!!

PiYo is going to be released this year at Beachbody's Coach Summit!!!

So, what exactly is PiYo??? It's a unique program that is designed to build strength and gain flexibility. The moves fit perfectly together to form workouts filled with intense choreography that’s fun, challenging and will make you sweat. It’s about energy, power and rhythm. Think sculpted abdominals, increased overall core strength, and greater stability.

With Beachbody's Coach Summit being at the end of June, I expect (do not quote me on this because we haven't been given a release date) that PiYo will be released at the end of June or beginning of July.

I am going to be all over this program. Chalene's programs are my favorites and I can not wait to add this to my routine. Want to be in the know for when more information comes out??? Just click HERE and enter your info. I'd love to have YOU by my side as we go through the program TOGETHER!!!

21 Day Fix - Week 3

This was it - week 3 of the 21 Day Fix!

I knew this would be my toughest week - mentally and physically because in week 3, you have the OPTION to switch things up a bit. I was in this for the long haul, so I went for it.

The first thing that would be different this week was my workouts. Week 3 is an OPTIONAL DOUBLES WEEK. I was still fighting this cold/sinus infection, but I wasn't going to let it win. I was going all in. Doing doubles was challenging for a lot of reasons. I was still sick. As a busy mom, let's face it, it's much easier to make 30 minutes for exercise than it is to make 60 minutes. This meant some early morning workouts to be able to squeeze it in. These workouts alone - just 30 minutes - are INTENSE. But, I always tell myself, "suck it up...it's just 30 minutes." And it's much easier to push yourself REALLY HARD for 30 minutes than it is for 60 minutes. Hopefully, for Round 2 of the FIX, I won't be sick, so doubles will be a little easier.

The second thing that was going to be different this week was something called the 3 Day Quick Fix. Again, this is another OPTIONAL aspect of week 3. There's no way to sugar coat this...the Quick Fix is hard...and it's all a mental game. Why is it hard? Well, your meal plan changes. You're eating 6 times a day (every 2 hours), so hunger wasn't a factor. In fact, I was stuffed on these 3 days. But it's WHAT YOU'RE EATING that packs a punch. Essentially some form of lean protein (egg whites, chicken, fish & turkey), 2 healthy carbs and 4 veggies. Plain and simple - it's really boring, but really SIMPLE, so it makes meal prep a breeze. 

• Meal 1: Egg whites & oatmeal
• Meal 2: Chicken & yams (I don't eat yams, so I substituted quinoa)
• Meal 3: Fish & steamed green veggie
• Meal 4: Chicken & steamed green veggie
• Meal 5: Fish & steamed green veggie
• Meal 6: Turkey & steamed green veggie

It may not look like a lot of food - but I was so full. You're also drinking a gallon of water a day. I had done something similar to this a few years back (but I only did it for 2 days at a time)...so I kinda knew what I was in for. I warned my husband ahead of time that I was going to be cranky & moody. The first day wasn't bad. I got through it with no real issues - except peeing every 10 minutes ;)  Day 2 was a little harder. I was more tired & going through carb withdrawl at that point. There were cookies in our kitchen that were screaming my name. I'd go in, open the box and sit there and smell them. Frequently. By day 3, I was ready to throw in the towel and eat a cookie. Again, I wasn't hungry...I just wanted carbs....ALL OF THEM. Like I said, a lot of this 3 day portion is all mental. It's knowing you CAN'T have something that makes you want it more. I knew what my weight was prior to the 3 Day Fix & all I kept thinking was that I better see a drop on the scale to make this worth it. And it was...

I got up this morning, went into the bathroom, took a deep breath and stepped on the scale. I was so excited!!! I didn't believe what I was seeing, so I got off, and got back on just to make sure. Yep - it was accurate. I hadn't seen a number like this since July.

Before I get into my actual results, I want to comment on something that may be obvious, or may not be. Why does this program work so well? Well, yes - it's proper nutrition and effective workouts. But, beyond that.... I think the answer is that "it's only 21 days." Mentally - that's something easy to wrap your head around. Beachbody has numerous other programs - ranging from 6 weeks to 90 days. I'll be the first to admit - when I see that 90 days - it seems like an eternity away. But, with this, you can START AND FINISH in the same month. That makes this program perfect for so many people. Maybe you're new to exercise and you want to start with something shorter. Maybe you've completed other programs, but want to switch things up for just a few weeks. Maybe once you've completed this, you will see that anything is possible and that 90 days of another program seems much more doable now.

Now to my results :) I lost a total of 9.8 pounds and 9.5 inches!!! This program came along at the perfect time. In the fall, I was dealing with some injuries, along with my mom being sick (more on that in another blog post to come soon). Seeing my mom sick had sent me into a downward spiral. I was depressed and just ate and ate in an attempt to numb the pain. I would sit alone and eat an entire box of donuts or cake. I just kept eating and eating. I then became ashamed that I'd let emotions win. I didn't want to leave the house. I lived in my pajamas (or anything with an elastic waist band). I felt like I had let myself down and like I had let others down. The 21 Day Fix gave me focus. It was simple nutrition. I'm not hungry on the fix. I can have chocolate. I can have wine. I can have bread. I can even have pizza. Everyday? No. But, it's allowed. Having a program with flexibility like that is what I needed. The workouts were great. 30 minutes and I was done. A new workout everyday left me feeling good and never bored. I'm starting to see my muscle definition come back & clothes that didn't fit 3 weeks ago, now fit just fine. This program helped pull me out of a horrible funk that I had gotten myself into and to Autumn Calabrese, I'm eternally grateful.

Yes, today is a bit of a treat day for me. I'm drinking a non-fat white chocolate mocha from Starbucks as I write this. I'm going to have a cookie later & my husband is going to make me dinner. And then tomorrow, it's back to the FIX for ROUND 2!!! I still have a ways to go, but I couldn't be happier with my results thus far. 

If you want to join me for your own journey on the FIX, please contact me here. I have groups forming for March & April & I'd love to have you as a part of it :)

Week 2 on the 21 Day Fix

Another successful week on the FIX is in the books. I've lost a total of 6.6 pounds & I can't believe I'm now in my final week. Week 2 definitely had it's share of ups and downs - literally and figuratively.

I'll start with some of the things I struggled with this week. 

• I still have this darn cold/sinus infection which had drained my energy. The very last thing I want to do is workout. But, all week, I just kept telling myself, "It's only 30 minutes and you can modify if you need to." So every day, I have put on my workout clothes, gone downstairs and pushed play. And it's funny, my competitive side comes out as soon as the DVD is in. My mind shifts from "I don't want to workout" to "If I'm going to to this, I'm going to push as hard as I can." So, I crank some good music and have at it. And surprisingly, I even beat a majority of my calorie burns from the week before. 
• At one point this week, the number on the scale went UP. Say WHAT???? This is the EXACT reason I tell people to not go by the scale alone. Take progress pics. Take measurements. Did it still freak me out. Yeah, a little. But, I knew exactly why. One - I'd been upping my weights this week, so I knew I was putting on some muscle. Two - while I was sticking to the plan, I wasn't always making the best choices. For instance, I was having turkey bacon frequently. And while, yes, it's allowed on the plan, it's the protein that is at the very bottom of the list. Meaning - it's not the best choice. It's got a lot of sodium & I know it was making me retain some water. 

But, with struggles, there's also triumphs...

• After seeing the number on the scale go UP, I immediately went into our bedroom and took my measurements. They were definitely down. I looked at myself in the mirror. I was seeing positive changes. And I tried on some clothes - that at the beginning of the fix were too tight...well, now they fit fine. Ok - mental crisis averted. 
• I cut back - well - eliminated turkey bacon for 2 days...and what do you know...the number on the scale went down. I have been choosing higher quality protein & my body was thanking me for it. 
• Despite having a cold and feeling like crap - I feel really GREAT! Huh? Yes, I'm coughing and sneezing and am somewhat of a hot mess. But, I'm starting to feel like the old me. The one who ate for fuel her body. Not the girl who ate her feelings. My body is starting to feel solid. I'm seeing muscle being built back up. I'm sore from my workouts, but am having less body aches & pains. My neck & back are feeling fantastic. My hip pain is all but gone. My left knee still gives me problems, but I can feel it getting stronger each day.

I am so excited to dive into week 3!!!! I still have ONE SPOT left in my March Fix group, so if you want to take that coveted 10th spot, just message me here.

21 Day FIX - Exclusive Test Group

If you follow me on Facebook, you've probably seen me talking about the 21 Day FIX lately.

So, what exactly is the 21 Day FIX??? 21 Day Fix is THE fitness and nutrition program to help you lose up to 15 pounds in 21 days. Each workout is approximately 30 minutes a day, 7 days a week. The unique nutrition plan uses specifically portioned food storage containers that eliminate the guesswork from portion control - no weighing, measuring, or counting calories, carbs or points. If it fits in the container, you can eat it. And you'll lose weight. When eaten in the right quantities, there are no foods that are off limits.

Who is this program for? Everyone can do 21 Day Fix and get great results. Each workout has a modifier to show easier moves. The test groups included fit people as well as people with 100+ pounds to lose, to be sure that anyone could be successful with this program.

What kind of results can you expect? Well, as you can see from these pictures, the participants in the initial test group got some AMAZING results. If you're dedicated to the program, you can expect some pretty impressive results yourself!

The 21 Day FIX doesn't launch until February 3, but you can reserve your spot in my Exclusive Test Group NOW! Just click here to send me your information and I will be sure to get you all the details.