Bring It, 2015!!

If you're looking to make any changes to work towards a healthier lifestyle but just aren't sure where to start - let me help you! We can talk through your current lifestyle and go through things together step by step. I know when I first started my journey, I felt very overwhelmed. With SO many things to choose from...gym membership, programs, weight loss diets, shakes, pills, wraps....WHAT do you choose and how do you know what works?

I decided to go with my gut and trust the results that I saw from real people who I knew. I had heard of P90X and T25 but had never heard of Shakeology before. But I took the leap of faith - and it was one of the best decisions I ever made for myself.

No gimmicks - no get-thin-quick-with-no-hard work schemes. It takes the will power to make the necessary changes in your life if you want to truly change your health, your fitness, your mindset, and your body. You need to eat right, you need to exercise, and you need to be committed.

Sound scary? Maybe it is at first because it's new. And it's outside of your comfort zone. But no real changes are ever made inside our comfort zones. I've definitely learned that from experience.

But that's where I come in. I will be right here with you along the way - helping you to figure it all out and supporting you throughout your journey.

What do you have to lose? If you know you want a change - maybe not even knowing what that is...let's chat and talk through it. Message me on facebook or send me an email and I would love to get you started. There's nothing like a fresh new year to start making the changes you've longed for.

I'm a work in progress always....come join me!

Picture YOUR Transformation!! :)

What a Year!

I cannot believe that 2014 is coming to a close. I know it's so cliche and we say this all the time, but boy - does time fly. The older we get, the faster it goes. This year was no exception - and it was full of so much change and learning and growth.

At the beginning of the year I was working at Mophie as a financial analyst. I was traveling 40 minutes each way, leaving hours before my family woke up, racing home to get my girls from daycare - only to spend a few hours with them each day. While the company was great to work for - I didn't feel passion for my job...for my career. I really never had. I went to college initially thinking pre-law, but when I decided that I really didn't want to go to law school - I picked accounting as my major instead because I was good at it, someone suggested it, and I knew I could get a good paying job. Safe bet Sally. After years in that career, missing way too much time with my little girls, and feeling the total overwhelm of life - we decided that I would quit and stay home to be with the girls. I never thought I would be a stay at home Mom, but I felt in my heart that this was the absolute best decision for our family at the time. So I quit my job at Mophie and decided to start my own journey as a Beachbody Coach. I loved the fact that I could work from home, on my terms, hours that worked for my family - and it would be my own business! This is something that I've always wanted to do - just didn't know what it would be until it hit me right in the face.

I believe everything happens for a reason. When I contacted someone about joining one of her challenge groups back in May, I was very skeptical. But I took the leap of faith (in myself) and ordered T25 and Shakeology. I told myself I was going to be super dedicated, be active in the challenge group and check in regularly, and focus on clean eating and healthy habits. As I was going through my challenge group - I quickly knew that I wanted to be a coach and help others, the way that my coaches helped me so much. I loved the team atmosphere, I love the support, and I especially love that everyone I met TRULY wanted to see others succeed. It was never about trying to sell people things they don't need. I learned that my passion I felt to help others could be served out in this way. And it has been a wonderfully wild journey these past 6 months!

I never imagined that things could have gone this well for my first 6 months of having my own business, but I truly believe it's because my MAIN focus is on helping others. If people are willing to work with me and let me help them - I'm there for them 100%. There have been so many people that I've crossed paths with that have completely changed their lives and their health for the better. This is what makes it all worth it to me!

I'm so excited to see what 2015 has in store for my coaching business! I have some really fun things planned that I've mentioned on here before. I'm going to Pittsburg for a weekend event with The Dream Team, led by Melanie Mitro - who is the #1 coach in the company and one of my mentors. I'm so excited to celebrate the successes of 2014 with so many awesome coaches that I've been so blessed to get to know this year. Then I have my tickets all set to go to Coach Summit in Nashville in July! I can't even explain the sheer excitement I have over this. Tons of awesome training from top coaches and celebrities, meeting my favorite celebrity trainers and doing live workouts...and just surrounding myself with like minded people who I know will inspire me the entire time I'm there.

So this year has been amazing. I've never been healthier in my life....and I've never been happier. I get to spend so much time with my girls when they are at this precious age. I get to work hard on my own business and be in charge of my own success and destiny. And I get to do what I love to do - I get to help people on a daily basis.  I love the connection I am blessed to have with so many people throughout their journey and I can't wait to see what 2015 has in store.

New Year - New You!

Let's start this off by being brutally honest with ourselves. How many times have you thought about New Year's Resolutions and either (a) choose not to make any because you think they are pointless or you know you won't keep them or (b) you make some big lofty goals like going on a diet and exercising to lose all the weight you've gained over the years? I know I've done both of those over the course of my life. There weren't many resolutions that I stuck to and there were many years when I chose not to make any at all.

Here is the problem with most resolutions. They aren't specific enough and we really don't put that much weight into them because we have nobody to hold us accountable.

For me - I need a very specific goal and a plan to get there or I will see nothing in regards to results. When I decided to start running a few years back - I needed a goal or else I knew I wouldn't do anything. So I signed up for a 5k, worked on a couch to 5k program on my phone, and ran almost every day. Once it became a habit in my life it didn't seem like a chore to run. I felt out of whack when I didn't run!

Then I had to give my friend her treadmill back because her new house was finished and I had to figure out what my next plan was. I had seen great results from running in the form of weight loss, but I was definitely at a plateau. Cardio is great for losing weight or maintaining - but it doesn't do anything to really change your body (sorry running lovers!). So I knew I wanted to try an at-home fitness program where I could work on strength, gaining muscle, and toning my body for real. I chose an at-home program because I knew with our schedules, I wouldn't get to the gym as much as I would like and I wouldn't make it a normal habit in my life. So I chose to start with T25 and joined my first challenge group. LIFE CHANGER guys! When I commit to something, I go in with 110%. I checked in every day, never missed a workout, drank my Shakeology, and stuck to my meal planning. And what happened? Real results! My body changed, my mindset changed - my life changed.

Why am I sharing all of this? Because I want that for as many other people as possible. I want other people to feel what I do right now. I used to be sick all of the time, seriously lacked energy, had a negative mind-set, very low self-esteem....and the list goes on. I want other people to feel the amazing life changes when they invest in themselves and start to make healthy decisions.

But it's scary - I know! People are nervous to commit to something because they've quit so many other things before. They are scared that they won't have the time or won't like eating healthy. That's where I come in and that's the beauty of my accountability and support groups. I help you with all of this. Did you know that you are so much more likely to reach a goal if you tell others about it? Having support is so key here.

I want to be here for you and support you along your journey - because that is a passion in my life! I want to share as much as I've learned and pay it forward. I'm starting a New Year New You accountability group on January 5th where I'll be there as your personal coach helping you with everything from your workouts to clean eating to meal planning to grocery shopping..and so much more.

Choose to start 2015 with a bang and make this your year. Your year to shine!

Message me on facebook or email me for more details.

YOU are WORTH it!

January Specials are HOT HOT HOT

I always get excited when we are told what the next month's specials are going to be! Last night we were informed of the exciting Challenge Pack promotions for January and I'm so excited because they are some of my FAVORITE programs. They were released a little early and are available as of TONIGHT! So you can get your challenge pack just in time for our January 5th New Year - New You Health and Fitness group!

So here they are...

21 Day Fix Challenge Pack with Shakeology - Click here for price

If you've been following me at all - you already know how much I LOVE this program. It's definitely been my all-time favorite out of all the programs I've done so far. It just really works, its fun - and super effective! Check out my 21 Day Fix journey here!

• 30 minute effective home workouts (including Cardio + Weights, Yoga, Pilates, 10 Minute Abs)
• Portion Control Containers
• Proven Nutrition Plan
• Shaker Cup
• Access into our upcoming online Cleat Eating + Fitness Challenge Group

3 Day Refresh Challenge Pack with Shakeology - Click here for price

The 3 Day Refresh is a 3 day program of specicially formulated shakes, healthy snacks, and delicious, easy to prepare meals that have been scientifically proven to help you lose weight and break the cycle of bad eating while dramatically improving the way you feel.

Unlike juice fasts or liquid cleanses that are high in sugar and low in protein (which can leave you feeling weak and sluggish), the 3 Day Refresh is scientifically designed to help support your metabolism while nourishing your vital organs. Plus you actually get to eat delicious, real food during your program!

Some reasons to do the 3 Day Refresh:

• You need a clean break from a period of unhealthy eating (like HOLIDAYS!)
• You used to eat pretty well but you have recently fallen off the wagon a bit and need some help getting back on track
• You want to jump-start healthy eating habits for your new workout program
• You want to quickly lose a few pounds for an upcoming event
• You've never been a healthy eater, but you are ready to kick-start better nutrition for the first time
• You want your clothes to fit better and you want more energy
• You love food and want to feel satisfied while you lose weight and get healthier

Insanity Max 30 Kickstart Challenge Pack with the 3 Day Refresh & Shakeology - Click here for price

I'm doing this program as we speak and just started Week 3. It is no joke! Shaun T is one of the best trainers ever and he really pushes you in this program. I love that even though it's very intense, there is a modifier that you can follow the entire time on half of your screen. And even if you follow the modifier, you can still get crazy results. I'm so excited to see where the rest of this 6 weeks takes me doing this one. I also love that the nutrition plan follows the 21 Day Fix portion controlled plan. It really works!

• 30 minute fat-burning at home workout
• Nutrition Plan
• Access into our upcoming online Cleat Eating + Fitness Challenge Group

 

If you'd like to take advantage of any of these specials and join my January 5th online accountability group - email me or message me on Facebook!

Clean Eating - Cooler Plan #2

Clean Eating is a lifestyle choice, not a diet. In her book "Eat Clean Diet", Tosca Reno calls her meal plans "Cooler Plans".

She has different plans based on the results you are looking for. If you're looking for one for steady weight loss and maintenance once you hit your goal weight, she has Cooler Plan #2.

So what is Cooler Plan #2? Clean eating, plain and simple! The occassional treat (piece of dark chocolate, glass of wine) is permitted in limited amount. Unhealthy sugars and fats are not recommended.

What you should do:

• Eat more! You should aim to eat 5-6 small meals each day
• Eat breakfast every day, within an hour of rising
• Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbs at each meal
• Eat sufficient (two to three servings) healthy fats every day.
• Carry a cooler packed with clean foods each day if you aren't home all day.
• Depend on fresh fruits and veggies for fiber, vitamins, nutrients, and enzymes.
• Adhere to proper portion sizes.

What to avoid:

• All over-processed foods - particularly white flour and sugar
• All chemically charged foods
• Foods containing preservatives
• Artificial sugars
• Artificial foods such as process cheese slices (gross)
• Sugar loaded beverages (pop and juices)
• Limit alcohol intake
• Calorie dense foods containing little to no nutritional value (anti-foods)
• NO super sizing meals!! Learn portion control.

Complex Carbs from Fruits and Veggies:

6 portions each day and a portion is:

• 1 cupped handful or a piece of fruit such as berries, grapefruit, melon, apples and mangoes
• 2 cupped handfulls of veggies including brother based/vegetable puree soups

Complex Carbs from Whole Grains and Starchy Carbs:

2-4 portions each day and a portion is:

• 1 handful of high-protein, sugar-free cold cerea such as clean nuesli or granola
• 1 handful of cooked cereal
• 1 piece of whole grain brad or wrap
• 1 handful sized serving of sweet potato, yam, banana, corn, carrots, or squash

Lean Protein:

6 portions each day and a portion is:

• 1 cup or handful of dairy products such as low fat soy, almond, hemp, rice, or skim milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, greek yogurt
• 1 handful of raw, unsalted nuts (also a healthy fat)
• 2 tbs of all natural nut butters such as almond or peanut butter (also a healthy fat)
• 1 palm sized portion of lean meats (3-4 oz)
• good quality sugar and chemical free protein powder

Beverages:

• 2-3 liters per day of fresh water
• clear herbal tea (unsweetened)
• black coffee in moderation
• green/black tea

Sweeteners: Use in moderation and make sure to avoid artifical sweeteners!

• agave nectar
• maple sugar flakes
• rapaura sugar

Insanity Max:30 Week 1 Review

Well I think it's no secret that I am loving this new program. Shaun T did a really great job with this program and I'm so happy I decided to do it right away.  So I just wanted to do a little review of week 1!

As a reminder, the important part of it is that you go as hard as you can for as long as you can until you've "maxed out". You write down your time, take a short breather, and you hop right back in.  So starting on Monday I decided that I would use no modifiers until after my max out time. Let's just say I'm not getting too long in before I max out!  But that is OK! I'm not competing with anyone but myself. The next time I do each workout - my goal is to make it longer than I did the time before. It makes you push yourself and I'm reminded that the body will go as far as the mind lets it.

Day 1 Monday: Cardio Challenge. Max out time 7:46. This one is really intense and burns a lot of calories for me. I don't normally have a high heart rate so I don't burn a ton of calories very easily. But today I burned 325 during this workout. I'll take it!

Day 2 Tuesday: Tabata Power. Max out time 5:46. This one has a lot of arm work, ab work, and jumping. It's a total body workout for sure - but I definitely feel the soreness in my arms (especially triceps) afterwards. I burned 225 calories during this workout.

Day 3 Wednesday: Sweat Intervals. Max out time 7:58 and I honestly couldn't even believe I made it that long! I burned 325 calories with this one too. My knee was a bit sore from Tuesday's workout (feels like I strained it somehow) so it was a little tough today and had to watch it on my jumps. But the name is not a joke - I was definitely dripping in sweat when this 30 minutes was over.

Day 4 Thursday: Tabata Power (same as Tuesday). Max out time 6:50 so I beat my Tuesday time and I'm happy about that! I burned 215 calories this morning. I was feeling energized after this so I did a little LesMills Pump to do some weight training. It was a great morning! My knee is feeling a little better today after I applied some heat last night so the workout wasn't hard on it.

Day 5 Friday: Friday Fight Round 1. Max out time 7:46 (hey same time as Cardio Challenge). I burned 250 calories (I think - my watch was being a pain the rear this morning). I do admit my knee was bothering me a little bit today so after my max out time I really watched the jumping and used the modifier when I needed to. Another thing I love about this program is that you can choose the modifier track and it has a split screen showing the modifier the entire time. Definitely helpful for a beginning or someone with bad knees or a prior injury!

Day 6 Saturday. This day can be a rest day or you can do the workout called Pulse. It's more of an active recovery type workout to stretch out and still keep you moving and burning. I decided to do it because I'm just not a huge fan of rest days. :)

Day 7 Sunday. I planned to take a rest day but since I ate a few things I don't usually eat at a Christmas party on Saturday evening - I decided to wake up early and get a workout in! I went with 21 Day Fix: Lower Fix and it felt amazing!

Ok - now let's talk nutrition plan. This program follows the same plan as the 21 Day Fix, so I was super happy about that because I believe in that plan 100% and I know first hand that it works. I use my portion control containers that are color coded for each food group. Each day I get 4 Red, 3 Green, 2 Yellow, 2 Purple, 1 Blue, and 1 Orange. The containers look small but when you actually start using them - you find yourself full and satisfied all day because you are actually eating the right things!

The past month I have been much more lax on my portion sizes so I'm really excited to get back on track and get back to where I want to be.  My struggle is evening snacks. When I see my husband snacking - I just want to do it too. But when I do - I don't follow correct portion sizes and the snacks weren't included in my daily meal plan, so it just ends up stalling results or makes me go in the opposite direction.  So to help with that, I'll have a little Shakeology in the evening to curb my appetite and cravings and it has been working like a charm. At night I just mix it with ice and water and count it as one of my Red containers and keep it in my meal plan.

I know that if I want to see REAL results - I need to keep my nutrition in check. It's tough during the holidays because we have so many holidays parties just like everyone else, but I'm really trying to do my best to plan around them so I can stick to my meal plan as best as possible. This week I'm going to FOCUS hard on what I eat and sticking to what I've planned for meals. My biggest struggle is at night - so I'm going to use extreme will power! Next weekend we have 3 Christmas get-togethers and then we are done. My goal this holiday season was to maintain and not gain and I will accomplish that goal!

Christmas List of a Fitness Enthusiast

I don't really ask for anything for Christmas because I have more than I need already. There are differences between wants and needs! So I thought I would make a fun Christmas list of the things I would ask Santa for if I were a kid still believing in the magic.

1. Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells 

Swoon. Since I started coaching, I've seen other coaches using these weights and I'm in love. Then when I was doing the ChaLEAN Extreme program and Chalene was using them, I found myself really wishing I had a set myself. I have a new found love for weight training and it would be so nice to have such a huge variety of weights all in one so that I could use the appropriate weights for each body exercise and be able to up my weights to see more progress.

The awesome thing about these - with just the turn of a dial, you can automatically change your resistance from 5lbs all the way up to 52.5 lbs of weight (yes you can do half lb weights!). No more picking up 30 different dumbbells to give you the results you want. One day I will have these in my home gym! :)

2. About 20 Work Out Tank Like This

I'm not big into spending money on clothes especially when I feel like I have enough already. But these tanks are the bomb.com! I came across www.sorockshop.com and fell in love with these tanks. There is another one I would like that says "I work out as often as I see unicorns. (every day)." That one would be good too, Santa.

3. Garmin Vivosmart Activity Tracker


Look at this little beauty! I've had a Fitbit Flex while now and it's doing the job as an activity tracker, sleep tracker, and alarm clock. But I also use a Polar FT4 for my heart rate monitor during my workouts. So when these items go bad on me, I'm going to be looking for something like this little gem.

The features on this thing are unreal! It is an activity tracker so it counts your steps, active minutes, and calories burned. It is a heart rate monitor as well and has a chest strap included so it would remove the need to put an additional item on during my workouts! It functions as a regular watch which would be nice since I don't have that feature on my Fitbit...and I can't see the actual stats of my day with the Fitbit unless I check the app on my phone. The Vivosmart also lets you monitor calls, texts, meetings, and e-mails using vibrations alerts with a compatible Android or iOS device. Ummm, yes please! If you know me at all - you know that I'm a technology/gadget junkie and this one seems right up my alley!  My friend Rachel just got one so I was able to see it in person and I fell in love!

4. New Pair of Crossfit Training Shoes

I haven't completely decided which kind I'd want to get - but I went to Shaun T for advice since I'm doing his Insanity Max: 30 workout program right now and I wanted to see what he recommended. Surprisingly enough, I found out that he has some of the same problems with his feet that I have. I try to work out with shoes on (running shoes which is really bad to use for Insanity type programs) and I always end up having to take them off because my feet are in excrutiating pain. I learned that Shaun T works out barefoot at home too because it's the most comfortable to him. What do you know!

I learned that you can't really use running shoes for these types of workouts because the cushion can end up causing you possible harm to your ankles and knees. Maybe that's what happened to me right now causing my left knee pain. I think I'll get this shoe thing figured out pretty quickly, with or without Santa!

What are your favorite fitness related items that you'd ask for? Or what are your favorite things that you currently have? 

Chocolate Peppermint Muffins

Check out these bad boys! Craving sweets? Satisfy that craving with these minty chocolate muffins made with great ingredients. I found this recipe on the Beachbody blog - they have tons of great recipes!

Serving Size: 1 Muffin
Recipe makes 12 Muffins

What you need:

• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract (make sure to not put in more - it can be overpowering)

How to get it done:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Prepare 12 muffin cups by lining muffin paper or coating with nonstick cooking spray and set aside
• Place chickpeas, eggs, honey, cocoa powder, baking soda, coconut oil, and peppermint extract in blender or food processor and blend until smooth
• Place better in a medium bowl
• Divide batter among 12 prepared muffin cups
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
• Cool completely and enjoy!

Shaun T's Chicken Chopped Salad

What you need:

• 4 oz diced chicken
• 3 cups romaine lettuce
• 1/3 avocado, sliced
• 12 asparagus spears, steamed and chopped
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbs lemon juice

How to get it done:

• toss chicken, lettuce, avocado and asparagus into large salad bowl
• in small bowl, whisk together mustard, honey, and lemon juice
• drizzle dressing over salad

Seems easy enough!! Enjoy!

Calories: 399  Protein: 44g  Fat: 16g  Fiber: 10g

Free 7 Day Holiday Survival Guide

The holidays are a tough time when you're trying to start or maintain healthy habits and I've had so many people message me recently who want to start making some positive changes. But they are scared to commit right now because they either don't want to spend the money so close to Christmas or they are scared they won't stick to a full accountability group through the holidays.

So I decided to open up a FREE 7 Day Holiday Survival Group to help people get through these crazy holidays!

What will be included?

• 7 Day Meal Plans with grocery list included
• One on One Coaching Support
• A community of people who are committed to support one another on this journey
• Clean eating tips and recipes
• Easy, at-home workout suggestions for people with little time to commit to exercise during the busy times.
• Motivation

How do you join?

Super easy!

1. click here and make a FREE account which assigns me as your official coach! (if I'm not your coach already)

2. send me a message that you'd like to join the group

3. commit to checking in one time per day and participating. 

That's it! Easy peasy!

Who is in? Let's do this together. Maintain and NOT gain!

60 Days of Insanity

The last program that I followed in it's entirety was the 21 Day Fix. I followed the calender, I followed the meal plan, and I worked really hard to follow it exactly. I held myself accountable by being active in my challenge groups and by blogging about my day. I knew that if I had to report my day, I wouldn't cheat. Since then, I did sort of a hybrid program of ChaLEAN Extreme and 21 Day Fix. While I really do like ChaLEAN Extreme, I missed 21 Day Fix so I really liked doing both of them. I also was mostly just picking and choosing what workouts I wanted to do each day. While I still always got a great workout in - I really do think it's best to follow a program as it was laid out by the creator because the calender of workouts was designed for a reason.

Well I'm ready to start Insanity Max:30 tomorrow and I'm going to follow this program exactly as it was laid out by Shaun T. This is a 60 day program and I want to push myself again harder than I've ever done. The area where I need to push myself the most is with my nutrition. The meal plan is similar to the 21 Day Fix meal plan and you use the color coded portion control containers - so I'm happy about that because I know that it works! I'm looking forward to being super strict on my diet again so I can see real results. 80% of it has to do with nutrition people!

In order to hold myself extra accountable, I have my exclusive test group where I'll be doing the program with others who are trying it for the first time. But as an extra bit of accountability, I really want to blog again about my progress with this program. When I know that I'm going to be sharing my journey and results - it really makes me push myself that much harder.

So tomorrow this craziness begins! I've tried a few of the workouts out so far and holy cow - they are no joke. First of all, you see how long you can go before you "max out" and need to take a little break. You write down your time, and then you jump right back in. There is a modifier that you can follow (and boy do I need to do that a lot!). But when I start on Monday I'm going to do all of the regular moves until I max out and then allow myself to use the modifier when I have to after that. I have a feeling I'll be seeing some really short max out times to begin with. But that's ok - it's all about progress and getting stronger!

I want to document weekly stats on my blog so I can see for myself and share the changes that I'm seeing from the program. I'll also be sharing my meal plans that I create for the program too!

Here is my plan for Week 1.  Here goes nothing!!

Tis the Season...

It seems like the older we get, the harder it is to believe how fast time flies by. It's really December 12th right now? I feel like as we get older, and our responsbilities get piled on - we just think about everything on our to-do lists. All of the Christmas parties stacking up on the calender - flying around here and there. Racing around to buy Christmas presents. And just like that, it's over in the blink of an eye.

Not this year. I'm trying to make the conscious decision to just stop worrying about all of the details. I want to enjoy this time with my family and I don't want all of the nonsense of this season to cloud what Christmas is really about. Will we be busy, driving a lot to and from Chesaning, missing naps, staying up late....yes. I used to get really stressed out about all of these things. But what is the point? It's so much more freeing and peaceful to just let it go and ENJOY. I know this may seem like a simple thing for some of you - but it's never been easy for me to just relax.

Sometimes we get a little bit sick looking around our house at all of the toys. It just seems like SO much. But when we have 9 years of Jenna's toys saved up, Christmas and birthday presents for 3 girls over the years....things just seem to get out of control. Especially when you have divorced families involved - because that always means more presents. We are definitely always thankful for the gifts and so are the girls - but it does get a little bit overwhelming to look at the sheer volume of stuff. We do donate things as they outgrow them, but sometimes it's hard to think about giving things away that were gifts from family members. Can you relate?

So this year we decided to go very light on the presents for our girls. We are putting our main focus on buying gifts for other children and families in need - and I can tell you something right now....it sure hasn't seemed stressful at all. It has been so incredibly fun. We have taken the girls shopping with us every time we get gifts for other families and it's so fun to see their excitement to do it. Yesterday we were doing some shopping for a little girl and Stella was just pumped about it. She told us later "I don't want a hamster or a dog anymore - I want to just get something for other kids with our money". You guys - she's THREE. This goes to show that they are never too young to learn what giving is all about.

Jesus calls us to spread his love. He commands us to love one another and to take care of each other. That doesn't seem like it should be so tough - but I feel like we definitely make it hard.

What is the point of this life if we don't focus on others? I don't want to just work and consume and pay bills and die. I want my life to be about so much more than that.  I'm finally feeling like I'm listening to what God is asking of me and I feel like I'm really starting to understand my purpose in this life. When I took the girls to an assisted living home this week and we were visiting with elderly people we were just meeting - I couldn't help but flash forward in my mind. I was trying to envision myself in that wheelchair. When I'm in that position and I just sat there thinking back on my life - what did I want that playback to look like? I know what won't matter to me. It won't matter to me if I had a professional job I didn't enjoy making lots of money. It won't matter to me if I had a big, brand new house. It won't matter to me if I had name brand clothes. What will matter to me is knowing if I made ANY impact or not. Did I live my life with purpose. Did I try to be the hands and feet of Jesus? Did I go out of my way to help anyone? Did I show my children, by example, what it means to love one another the way Jesus commands us to?  I'd rather think about these things now and do whatever I can so that when I'm in that chair years and years down the road - I don't have to regret what did or didn't happen.

We only get one shot at this life. I am vowing to make mine worth it.

Thanks for listening to what was on my heart tonight. I hope everyone else is having a wonderful holiday season so far. Let's all remember the true meaning of Christmas and spread some love and joy around.

Keeping It All Together

Someone told me recently that it always seems like I just have it all together. I almost spit out my coffee because it was just so funny to me. Because I know that it's just not the truth. I don't share every thing on social media because I like to spread positive vibes and I'm not really one to complain to the world (not anymore!). I also don't believe in portraying perfection and sunshine all the time though either - because that's just not real life.

I'm extremely blessed. I have worked very hard to get to where I am in my life right now and I have been so blessed with a wonderful husband, amazing children, and SO much more. But getting to this spot definitely took hard work. I get to stay home with my kids now...something I know some people wish they were able to do. But one thing I don't like hearing is "you're so lucky to be able to do that!" I've said it before and I'll say it again...I don't believe in luck. YOU create your own luck. I believe in blessings yes, but not luck. If you want something, you work hard to make it happen. I started working when I was 12 years old. I worked in my family's restaurant washing dishes. I could barely reach the stacks of glasses because I was so young..but I did it. I worked every weekend and some week nights when people would call in sick. I realize now - but 12 is YOUNG. But it started a very good work ethic in me. I worked my butt off my whole life. All through high school, all through college while always having a full load of classes, and then all my adult life in my accounting career. Then we come to this point. I decided that I wanted to stay home with my girls while they were little and we made changes and sacrifices to make that happen. I LOVE being able to spend this precious time with my kids, I love being able to work from home building my Beachbody business, and I love growing and becoming a better person.

But it's most certainly not all sunshine. I have struggled a LOT in my life. My early childhood was tough for me and I had to grow up and take care of people at a very early age. None of this came without a cost. I suffered from depression and anxiety starting early in life but never addressed it because I always felt that my job was to take care of people...not to add another burden (me & my depression) to their already full plates. So I held it in and pushed it back. I never truly knew how to deal with any of it besides just being sad and feeling like I was crazy and that's just the way it was going to be. I share this and am not ashamed to do so because I think its extremely important to share our stories and our struggles. It does no good tucking them in and hiding them away.

Right before I moved to Chicago to take a new job back in 2007, I had what you would call a complete mental breakdown. I was so unhappy with myself and my life that I just honestly didn't know what to do anymore. I broke free from a lot of things and kind of started over. It was one of the hardest and one of the best decisions I could have made for myself and for my future. I was learning more and more who I really was - and I was learning something VERY important: Nobody is coming to save me. Nobody is going to make me feel less sad. Nobody is going to take all the scars and the hurts away from me. I needed to choose to be the hero of my own story. Of course I believe with my whole heart that Jesus is the true hero of my story - but I'm talking about making the conscious decision to take my life into my own hands, to deal with the "demons", and to make this life meaningful.

My relationship with Chad was the biggest blessing God ever gave me. He made me feel completely safe, secure, loved, smart, beautiful, sane, and undamaged. Once I was able to see what a healthy relationship and partnership was supposed to look like and once I believe that it was actually possible to be that good - things changed.  I also had to let myself believe that I deserved it too. Chad taught me that I could change my way of thinking and I could allow the good in and make the CHOICE to live a happy life.

Then my kids came and my life changed again. I never knew what kind of love we are capable of having until we had them. I have always wondered what my purpose in this life was. I now know that my main purpose in this life is being a Mommy to these little girls who God trusted me with. While every day is certainly not easy because being a Mom (especially one who is home all the time with them) can definitely come with it's challenges! It's the hardest yet most rewarding job I've ever had the pleasure of doing. My heart literally bursts just thinking of my love for them. There are some days that are extra hard where I miss having adult interaction and I struggle sometimes feeling like I belong....but that's just part of where I'm at right now and I accept that.

After I decided to be a stay at home Mom and finished my first challenge group as a challenger doing T25 and Shakeology - I decided to go for it and start my own business with Beachbody. It's amazing just how much my outlook on life has changed since being involved with coaching. I'm constantly surrounded by other like-minded people who are so passionate about helping others, about health & fitness, and who are insanely driven to reach their goals and dreams for their lives. This has been such a wonderful experience so far and I'm SO happy that I decided to dive in and just do it even though it seemed scary at first. It takes most of my free time when the kids are sleeping, and it does take work - but it's so worth it to me because I've found something that I actually feel passion for. There are days that are really tough and there are days that totally rock. But that's what life is. Nothing is ever good and easy ALL the time....that is not realistic. Anything with real value takes work.

I still struggle sometimes with my anxiety & depression. Sometimes it feel like it rears its ugly head, but things are different now. I recognize it, I try to work through whatever is making me feel that way, I talk about it, and I remind myself that IT DOES NOT CONTROL ME. I control how I view this life and I really want to make the most of the little time I have here. I want to spread positive, uplifting words and thoughts to people and I want people to know that we really can do anything we set our minds to. This post really seems like a big jumbled mess of my thoughts...but I hope that some of it made sense.  I just never want someone to be turned off by me always staying positive and think that I wouldn't possibly understand anything they are going through. We ALL struggle. We all have our own back-stories and we are always dealing with our own stuff.

I share this stuff because I know how much less alone I feel when I have read someone else's story. If someone reads this and thinks "oh, me too" - then this vulnerable post is worth it to me.

We are all fighting our own battles. Have a kind heart and never assume anything about people. We are all in this together.

Recent Happenings

I kind of fell off the blog train there for a while. Other things took priority and I just let the blog take a back seat for a while. But I constantly remind myself how much I enjoy doing this so I need to make the time for the things that I enjoy.

So what's going on lately? I feel like things have been a whirlwind!

Fitness Life: After I finished the 21 Day Fix, I started ChaLEAN Extreme. I really love Chalene and the program and she's gotten me to really have a new passion for strength training with weights. I love it more than cardio now for sure. But I enjoyed the 21 Day Fix so much that I found myself choosing to do that some days instead of ChaLEAN Extreme...so I definitely haven't followed the program calender by any means. I think I've been following programs to a T so much that I just wanted to give myself a little leeway to choose the workout I wanted to do each day based on how I was feeling - so that's been nice.

I also knew that I was going to start the new Insanity Max:30 program on December 15th and I'm DEFINITELY following that workout calender and meal plan exactly. I'm going to get crazy results on this one. I cannot wait to get it in the mail so I can read everything and start trying some of the workouts out before our test group starts. I'm super pumped that all of us coaches are starting it and trying it for the first time together and that we get to bring challengers in with us too. It's going to be a riot. I'm waiting for my 3 Day Refresh to come in the mail any day. So I'm going to do that right before I start Max:30 and then dive into this head first. I don't even care that Christmas parties are coming - I'm going to STAY DEDICATED. I am looking forward to sticking to the portion controlled containers throughout the program too - I know how much better I feel when I do that. I feel like I've been slacking a little bit too much in the food department and want to get totally back on track. I'm completely terrified and excited all at the same time for these workouts though! Let me know if you want to do it with me! It's going to be fun and you'll get in the best shape of your life.

Coaching Life: Holy cow, I never dreamed I would love doing this as much as I do. I've said it a million times already, but I'm so happy to have found something that I have so much fun doing. I've always wanted to help people, just didn't know what that meant for me or how I was supposed do to that. Now I get to do that every day. When I get messages from my challengers telling me of their success, their weight loss, their new pair of pants they had to buy because they needed a size smaller, their completely changed attitude in life, their increased energy....(you get the point) - it just MAKES my day...every time. And I get paid for this??

We have so many fun events coming up that I'm looking forward to. In January our whole team is going to Pittsburgh for a quarterly coaching event. We are going there because my upline coach, Melanie Mitro is hosting it and Carl Daikeler and Autumn Calabrese are going to be there too. Getting to meet those three has been a dream to me since I started coaching. Melanie is the number one coach in the entire company, Carl is the CEO and Autumn is one of my favorite trainers and the creator of the 21 Day Fix. After that event - the next day Melanie is holding an exclusive training for us and then throwing a huge celebration bash for our team and to celebrate her being #1 coach for 2014. EXCITED is an understatement. I'm especially excited to spend some quality time with my own coaches since they are all coming with me! :)

April we have our coach trip to Cancun!! I'm sure Chad and I will be more than ready to get away by the time April comes around (who isn't). So Beachbody has this trip planned for coaches. You can earn your trip for free so they give really great incentives. I have 85% of our trip earned already and I have no doubt in my mind that in the next 2 months I'll have earned the trip completely free for both Chad and I to go.  This trip is purely leisure and relaxing. YES PLEASE!!

July we have our annual Summit and that's in Nashville. This event is jam packed of tons of trainings from some of the top coaches and many people that I completely admire, live workouts with the celebrity trainers, and tons of team building. Oh - and did I mention that it's in Nashville? I've always wanted to go there!!

Home Life: We are having Vera's 2nd birthday party tomorrow and I'm completely flabbergasted that she is already going to be two. Her actual birthday is on the 10th. I let her pick what kind of party she wanted and she she quickly decided on Frozen. So I went to good ole Party City and picked up a few things, made a funfetti cake (really hard, I know - I slaved on it all day), let the girls decorate it with frosting and sprinkles, and got some balloons. I caved and bought a Frozen helium balloon from the dollar store and you would think it was their favorite toy they have ever had. It's always the simple things, isn't it?? My friend Ann was super sweet and is letting us borrow her daughter's Elsa braid and she made Vera a cute little tool skirt to wear. I didn't even ask her to do it and she did it anyway. It's people like this that make my heart completely burst. People that think of helping others and taking time out of their day to do something special for someone else. She also said she just "whipped it up". If I were to just try to whip up a skirt, it would look like something that doesn't resemble a skirt at all!  

But I think our almost two year old is completely psyched for her party. She is such a funny little fire cracker and we love seeing her personality develop and grow. I've never met a funnier little kid in my life. Not only is she funny, but she is very strong willed, smart, and won't let anyone cross her. We are still convinced that will she be a football player one day. And she will probably refuse to wear a helmet.

I know your Friday night and your life is probably now complete after reading about the recent happening in my life. :) Thanks for stopping by to check it out. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!! Only 20 days until Christmas - WHAT??