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Monday, December 8, 2014

Our GIFT to YOU!


As a natural born "giver," I absolutely love this time of year and find myself thinking up the "perfect" gift for ANYONE and EVERYONE.  I pride myself in being a "thoughtful" giver, coming up with unique gifts for each individual on our list (and usually add too many people to the list!)

I became a Beachbody coach in an effort to give back and pay-forward the gift of health Matt and I received from our BB coaches starting in June, and I've had privilege of helping several family and friends reach goals they've been working at for months, even years, and some goals they didn't even think were possible. Their lives are changing and many of them are changing the lives of their families. And I want this list to grow, Grow, GROW!

So this Christmas...starting TODAY, I'm giving you MY TIME and THE GIFT OF HEALTH through Monday, January 5th!




I'm going to open up a challenge group to anyone and everyone who is wanting to get a jump start on some New Year's resolutions, or finish the year out strong to hit the goals you set for yourself 11-12 months ago at the start of this year.


This challenge group is OPEN TO EVERYONE; no matter your age, fitness level, fitness preference, nutrition habits. It'll be a positive outlet for you to get daily support and have a place to post with others just like you. The rate of success is greater when you are surrounded with others who are taking this journey too!

WAIT, THERE'S MORE
....the sooner you join the better, because there will be drawings based on daily participation!!!

GRAND PRIZE DRAWING
(to take place Wednesday, January 7, 2015)

  • 1 entry for each challenge you complete
  • 1 entry if you record a loss
  • 1 additional entry if you lose 1% or more of your body weight on weigh in day
WEEKLY DRAWINGS
(to take place every Monday morning starting December 15 through January 5)

  • 1 entry for each challenge you complete

There will be no purchase of Beachbody products necessary, but as my sister shared this morning in her support group,
"You are going to love the convenience of having an at-home workout! I think you will also really like the way the program is designed. There is something about Beachbody programs that really sets them apart from other workout dvd's."
(This coming from a gal who successfully lost 60 lbs of baby weight "on her own" prior to starting Beachbody and Shakeology. And lost 11lbs in her first challenge group!! I can't say enough how proud of her I am!!)

I didn't become a coach to "sell products." I became a coach because I truly, honestly, with all my being, believe in the power and effectiveness of these products and programs want to help change lives!  I highly recommend them if you're ready to invest in your health and see and feel some amazing results!

COMMENT HERE, MESSAGE ME ON FACEBOOK, OR TEXT/CALL ME
IF YOU WANT TO BE ADDED TO THIS EXCLUSIVE GROUP!

Food On My Mind


I’ve been blessed with relatively decent health the first quarter century of my life, I came out a little “crooked,” but a couple surgeries and loving parents who kept me anyway got me through those little setbacks [for the most part]. I had a normal childhood filled with self-directed adventure as a country girl, a sister to blame everything on, sports to allow me to showcase my natural athleticism (my natural ability is about all the further I took my sports career), 4-H, horseshoe, roller skating at the Youth Center, late nights watching TV, a couple mission trips, sleepovers with friends, so on and so forth.

A sport every season, a youthful metabolism, and good genes held off any need to focus on my diet until college when I was given my first attempt at that whole surviving by myself thing. And I was so excited to not have to worry about what crazy food mom was going to make me try; I could finally eat “real food” for every meal (fast food, fried deli take-out, pizza).

A brief story about the quotes around real food: Back in the day on a family vacation, we stopped at a whole bunch of funky little diners and mom-n-pop restaurants to eat on our way out to Montana, none of which had chicken tenders, or at least not the ones that tasted exactly like the ones they served at Burger King, which pretty much left me zero options! If you’ve ever traveled from Minnesota to Montana off the beaten path (heck, even on the beaten path), you know there’s a decent stretch of highly unpopulated territory. We finally made it to a town of decent size, and as we were pulling up to a Burger King for our next meal, in a giant sigh of relief, I exclaimed, “FINALLY, REAL food!”

That story, and mindset of food, stuck with me for years to follow.

With that being said, I clearly didn’t have a great grasp on what constituted good nutrition, or even decent nutrition for that matter. The stereotype that “if it doesn’t taste good, it’s probably healthy” held true in my mind.

I spent the first part of my 20’s convinced daily/regular exercise was all I needed, and how much of it and the intensity level just depended on how much I wanted to eat. This did usually produce some results…it sure required a lot of work though. BUT it didn’t require me to give up the foods I had learned to love, so all that work was totally worth it.

I gradually opened up to the idea of making healthier food choices. I started counting calories. I bought fruits, vegetables, and other healthy choices, not really knowing how to incorporate them into my ten or less monthly meals that I prepared at home, most of which didn’t include much more than throwing a frozen disc of sauce, cheese and meat into the oven for a few minutes. The life-cycle of fresh produce in our home… grocery sack —> refrigerator —> trash can. Trust me when I say, “It wasn’t pretty,” when it came to my/our nutrition.

I love food. I hate change. I get impatient with “the process” of learning new things.

But thankfully God is still in the business of miracles, which is the only way I can explain how I made the decision to pretty much go “cold turkey” by emptying our pantry and join a Facebook “acquaintance” and her group to learn about clean eating.

As one of the challengers just posted today in our most recent group:

“Clean eating is a deceptively simple concept. Rather than revolving around the idea of
ingesting more or less of specific things (for instance, fewer calories or more protein), the idea is more about being mindful of the food’s pathway between its origin and your plate. At its simplest, clean eating is about eating whole food, or “real” foods – those that are un- or minimally – processed, refined, and handled, making them as close to their natural form as possible. Don’t eat anything your great-great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as a food.”

As I read that with what I know now, I am thinking back to how it would’ve sounded to me six months ago. There are just so many things that are nearly impossible to explain without experiencing it (kind of like telling a toddler not to touch something that is hot, or sharing with an expectant mother what they’ll experience during childbirth).

• You’ll find new “staple” meals.
• You’ll get familiar with the perimeter of the grocery store.
• What begins as a challenge to avoid caving in to “convenience” food, you might actually find to enjoy the “challenge” of finding clean, healthy, nourishing options on-the-go.
• You’ll understand the importance of a good cooler.
• Your tastebuds will change.
• You’ll discover it’s still possible to eat too much even if it’s clean.

It’s been 6 months of learning, which I’ve actually found kind of fun (more so because of the results from the learning). It’s required change. And best of all, I STILL love food (that actually ends up not panning out all that well!)  =)

I understand how intimidating and daunting of a task making a change in nutrition can be. I understand the feeling of not knowing… not knowing where to start, not knowing what to buy, not knowing what to cook/eat.

So while you may get tired of seeing my fitness and health posts - someone out there may benefit from it the way I did. Seeing it may inspire someone to change their life as well. I watched my coach for over half a year prior to changing my life. I am grateful every day for taking that leap and for everyone who has taken it with me!