Healthy Holiday Bootcamp- starting November 14th!!

Hey everybody!

Most of you know that I started a HEALTHY lifestyle change 2.5 years ago and it has forever changed just about every aspect of my life. 

It's time for me to GIVE BACK and invite YOU to our upcoming accountability & support group that starts November 14th!

We are going into one of the HARDEST times to stay on track with our nutrition and fitness - the HOLIDAY season! 

We will be focusing on how to create HEALTHY HABITS that you can take BEYOND our accountability & support group! Habits that you can use for the rest of your life. Habits that will help you feel the BEST you have felt! Habits that you can incorporate with your family! Yes, everything we do is FAMILY FRIENDLY!

We will be focusing a lot on how to still be able to ENJOY the holiday season and goodies that come along with it, but also finding balance with healthy food and portion choices!

We will be supplying you with a TON of HEALTHY, family friendly holiday dishes that you're not going to want to miss!

Please select "Going" or "Interested" if you're ready to make a HEALTHY change in your life and you would like to learn a little more about the at-home exercise programs and nutrition tools that have helped me become the BEST version of MYSELF that I've ever been!

***There will be a few GIVEAWAYS during the event, so make sure you stay connected!***

Please note: This is for non-coaches and those who are not currently working with another coach! Thanks!

If you are interested, please head here to RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/195835497519726/ 

I never thought yoga would do this for me...

            Happy Friday everybody, I wanted to share that no matter what my step meter says with zero intensity minutes measured all week ;) that I have been working out every day. This has been my first week of the 3-Week Yoga Retreat that I've been doing online from Beachbody on Demand and it's been amazing.

            Most people know that yoga can help you relax and increase flexibility- within the first four days this week I was already getting deeper into stretches and felt so much more flexible. The direction given by the trainers is so precise that I have made little adjustments to poses that I have been doing wrong for years. I've been getting deeper stretches; I've been feeling less pressure in my lower back as I'm learning to even breathe more correctly in order to support my lower back. I have always suffered from low back problems until I found PiYo but this yoga retreat has been amazing for my back: it hasn't even been cracking at all in the morning or feeling tight at all.

            Another thing I know people don't like to talk about, but yoga has helped my digestion amazing even more than the added bonus than having my daily Shakeology with the digestive enzymes and probiotics and all that good stuff. I did some Googling and I didn't realize that so many yoga poses with the twisting and the concentration on your core and your breathing really help loosen up your intestines and get everything moving so there's no stagnation or no uncomfortable feelings or anything like that.

            I have also noticed since I wear a Garmin Vivofit all the time is that my sleep graphs in the morning have been really different: it seems like there's a lot more dark blue (deep sleep) on my graphs every morning as opposed to light blue (light sleep). I am a numbers nerd, so I went through the 9 nights that I have been doing the Yoga Retreat so far and then I did the same number of nights before I started. I wrote down the amount of deep sleep and total sleep that my Garmin has telling me I've been getting.

            I had been averaging 9 hours and 15 minutes of sleep in the 9 nights leading up to my yoga program and I was spending 23% percent of that in deep sleep (2 hours, 11 minutes) each night. Since I started the Yoga Retreat, I've actually only been averaging 9 hours of sleep a night (I had bible study, girls night, and have been up late watching the Cubs in the playoffs). So I’ve actually been getting less sleep per night then before the yoga program but I have been spending 29% of my night in deep sleep, which works out to 2 hours and 45 minutes. This means I've been getting less sleep overall but I have been getting half an hour more of deep sleep at night!!

            Deep sleep is so important to your physical health, your mental health, and to your whole body because that's when your body regenerates. Deep sleep is when things get moved from short-term to long-term memory; it's when your muscles rebuild themselves; it's really where you just get reset for the next day. The fact that I have been sleeping less but been getting more deep sleep has been such an added gift that this program has given me…in addition to the better digestion, in addition to the less tightness in my lower back, in addition to the increased flexibility, in addition to not just the less tightness in my back but I feel taller and lengthened.  That is an amazing benefit of yoga: you feel just stretched out and you don't feel as so compressed and tense.

            Oh, and more deep sleep means that I have had more energy during the day it's just one of the greatest things that I think Beachbody has come out with because anyone can do this! The fact that it is free is totally amazing. If you want to try this yoga program, it takes 21 days and no more than 30 minutes a day (the weekends are actually shorter)- it's totally free with your trial of Beachbody on Demand. If you have never tried yoga before, you should give it a try! It's going to help you sleep better; it's going to help you de-stress; it's going to help your energy, your digestion…everything! It's not got some of the Eastern religion connotations or weird music to it, it's just stripped down simple basic yoga and it's going to make you feel great.

            I had been looking for a low-impact program to continue on from Country Heat and this program fit the bill for me. If you want to learn more about it or if you want to keep following my journey please stay tuned and make sure you are following my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/boeknowscleanliving

preparation is key

I love how prepared Andrea is for church on Sundays. Can't get easier than that! 

Grow It, Try It, Like It!

My husband went to a health and nutrition education conference a while back and came home with a form from Team Nutrition USDA with all sorts of educational nutrition resources from grades preschool on up through middle school.

Today I got a box of the "Grow it, Try it, Like it!" preschool curriculum in the mail that he ordered for me. It's awesome and my inner teaching nerd is drooling over these things as Addie sleeps nearby. 

It has sight word booklets and a different unit for 6 different fruits and vegetables that features activities like hands on stuff, eating and recipes, learning how they grow (and even planting your own), stories and songs, physical education activities, and even take home materials for the teachers to send home with kids.

I think it's a great curriculum and every school should be teaching about proper nutrition, getting in touch with growing your own food, and staying active. It would work great for homeschooling moms too!

If you'd like more information about this curriculum you can see here: http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/grow-it-try-it-it 

#growittryitlikeit

looking for teammates

2.5 years ago I tried Beachbody because I wanted what my friend Toni had- energy, vitality, and happiness. I was sick and tired of being tired and knew I could use the tools from the 21 Day Fix to change my life and Corey's, too. Adding in Shakeology was awesome for me because I am very picky and don't like vegetables at all.

I never imagined that just by sharing my journey with others that I'd be inspiring them to start their own- or that it would become such a financial blessing for my family. It has paid for bills in a bind and also given us breathing room to have FUN and not be so stressed about money anymore.

If you've been watching my posts for any amount of time and have the tiniest bit of curiosity as to what it

is I DO as a coach, please comment or fill out this form at bit.ly/1flitlifegroup and I will contact you. I am hosting a free, no-strings attached informational group to give a peek into coaching that I'd love for you to be a part of.

Taking care of your WHOLE self

            Hey everyone! I wanted to share some things with you today. If you've been following my blog at all you probably know that I have had a really busy July: at the beginning of the month Addison and I took a one-week road trip to my best friend's house and had a great time playing with her kids and Toni and I did a lot of work for business together and it was great to collaborate. We came home for a week and then we were right back for two more weeks over at my parents’ in Illinois and then I went to Summit in Nashville for Beachbody. Now I'm finally home and unpacked with put everything away and I'm trying to get back into a routine.

            I’ve been feeling off all of last month and some of that has been my nutrition; even though I've been drinking Shakeology, my other meals are not on point when I'm traveling. I've been doing awesome with my fitness, which (for me) once I get started it is it is just a non-negotiable for me but I've recently realized that I haven't been taking care of my whole self.

            I’ve been doing my workout which is great: I've been doing 22-Minute Hard Corps so it's just 20 minutes and I’m in and out and I'm done and I'm moving on with my day. I'm drinking my shake every day, no issue. Well when I was traveling, we were eating out a lot and my cravings got all messed up and my complexion is a reflection of that right now. But another thing that was off for me was my personal development: reading books!

            My small group this summer has been reading “Grace-Filled Marriage” and I got about halfway through it and then with traveling and everything I stopped reading it. I'm the type of person that when I read a book where you learn things and implement them I really need to focus and take notes and highlight. I’m very engaged when I read; otherwise it's just pointless. I could just be reading a novel or some other fiction but I really like to make the books that I read “count” and I haven't been doing that.

            The other book I've been reading is “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” because I want to become a better person and a better leader for my team so that I can help them to start achieving their goals for themselves. I'm a very scheduled person and I thrive on that; so although it was nice to travel and see people, when I got out of my schedule I wasn't reading before bed every night or taking notes or listening to my podcasts regularly either.

            I think that so often people forget that your health is multifaceted! Even just missing one Sunday at church makes me feel “off” because I'm not getting my cup filled. I love getting daily devotional emails and I share them quite often on my Facebook page if you if you look through it (bit.ly/1fitlife). Those quick little nuggets fill my cup and make me feel more whole. Reading a book about bettering my marriage, or reading a parenting book, or reading a business book, or just a feel-good book help me “fill up” my tank in all areas of my life.

            I think one of the next books I'm going to be reading is called “The Energy Bus”; I've had a lot of friends tell me that it's amazing and so that is in my cart on amazon right now. I want to encourage you to not just focus on one area of your life; you need to focus on all the areas of your life. Your fitness is important; your nutrition is important; your spirituality is important. If spirituality for you means your faith and your relationship with Jesus like it does for me, or the energy of the universe, yoga, meditating, or other religions that's fine. But it's taking care of your inner self that's really important to do, by taking some time off for your mind to unplug. I just spent half an hour in the backyard just picking through the grass at the clovers and just letting my mind be blank for a while and letting my fingers look at a puzzle and not have to be focused or figuring out anything else.

            One of my commitments this August (I'm not waiting until school starts up again) is that I'm taking little little bits of time after Addie goes to bed or trying to get up before she does to get plugged back into my personal development. I’d like to share some of that with you, too. I've read so many amazing books recently and since I mentioned I am a note-taker, and I want to share that with you. I'd really like to start posting more things about personal development and bettering yourself in all areas, so that’s where I'm at right now right now.

            My fitness is doing great, I love my program. My nutrition is getting back on track now that I'm home: Corey and I have our monthly meal plan calendar out for dinner and we went grocery shopping and we are staying on point with that. I’m also getting back on track with my personal development now, too. If you are looking for a good book to read please don't hesitate to reach out and ask; I’ve got a great bookshelf that I'm filling up of books that I've read.

            I love that part of being a Beachbody Coach is taking care of your inner health as well as your body. If you would like to read some of my takeaways from the books that I've been reading because I hope that the information that has been blessing me can be used to bless you as well, please follow me on Facebook: bit.ly/1fitlife

fitting my job into my life, not scheduling my life around my job

I hear from so many people that they have NO TIME to be a coach. I used to think so, too!! I've learned that you CAN create an income by using the little nuggets of your day. 

I listened to personal development on my drive down to the baseball game. I drank my Shakeology instead of having candy and a hot dog at the game. And I've been checking in with my challengers in between customers at the concessions stand. Not a huge time commitment, just bits here and there! 

If you've seen my posts and wondered even a little bit what coaching might be about, like or comment to this post. My team is hosting a free, no strings informational group this week to answer any/all questions you have about this coaching thing I do.

strong is the new skinny

What is 1 body part you used to hate but now you have a better relationship with?

I used to be really insecure about my legs. I didn't like the term "thunder thighs" but instead I called them "soccer legs". I wished my jeans didn't get pilly and worn thin/through in my thighs. Now that I'm not only more fit but also more confident, I am much more secure in my legs. Who wants toothpicks for legs?! Heck no, I want a strong foundation for my body!! Doing programs like Hammer & Chisel and now P90X3 have given me the chance to really strengthen my legs. I love seeing muscle definition in pics like this. I never fit into the "skinny leg" jeans, but at least I don't have that awful thigh rub/chafing anymore. BAM!

FREE Hydration Group!!

Did you know that even when you're barely dehydrated your body sends out cravings for sweets?! 😳

The weather is heating up I've been guzzling down water lately to combat those cravings. Hydration is often one of the lost overlooked aspects to being healthy- and it's easy and cheap! To learn more about how important water is for your health as well as some recipes, tips, and motivation to get your recommended daily water in, please comment or like this post to be added to our FREE group. We start TOMORROW (MONDAY)!!

If you are reading this after the fact, please find me on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/boeknowscleanliving to ask when my next group will start! 

Hospitality vs. The "Perfection Infection"

What do you see here? Deep down, I see a couch with hidden Kirby hairs and one that desperately needs to be shampooed.

In years past, I would have let my "perfection infection" drive me nuts and would have deep cleaned not only the couch but the whole house before hosting Addison's birthday party. And if I couldn't get it all done before people came over, I would have been upset. Not to mention very difficult to deal with as I was doing all of the cleaning.
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This year I took a different approach and did what I could, asked Corey for help (which he gave and I'm so grateful for), and the rest I just let go and focused on enjoying the people that came to the house and enjoying the celebration.
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While reading one of my books "No More Perfect Moms" the author brings up this question: Is our resistance to hospitality and allowing our fears to control us an act of selfishness? Do we care more about how we feel then how our hospitality may make the other person feel? I can guarantee that no one at the party mentioned the fact that my couch would look nicer if it was shampooed; and if anyone thought it at least they didn't say it, so thanks for that!
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I am learning that perfection is an unrealistic standard, and maybe just an organized reality and a welcoming heart and spirit is more important than a house that looks like it came out of a magazine. Hospitality is our opportunity to be Jesus to those around us and it is an extension of our hearts. ❤
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Offering hospitality puts the emphasis on others and strives to meet their physical and spiritual needs. I love a part from my book said: your hospitality should make people feel REFRESHED, NOT IMPRESSED when they leave your home.
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Do you struggle with extending hospitality to others? I hope that sharing this with you can empower you to replace fear with courage, insecurity with confidence, and judgment with grace. And invite people over to be part of your reality- no unrealistic expectations or perfection required.

Why I became a Beachbody coach

The moments captured in THIS picture are part of why I became a Beachbody coach. I was not doing Addie's future self-image and self-esteem any favors by sitting on the couch, loafing around letting anxiety, depression, and laziness rule my life.

I was not doing my family's financial future any favors either. While it's always been my dream to be a stay at home mom, tight finances have been a result of that dream. 

Enter Beachbody. My friend Toni saw in me the potential to be happy and healthy again. She knew I could push myself and was willing to do that for me when I wasn't doing it for myself. She is also a stay at home mom and found a way to balance family life with building a debt-crushing business in her free time, WHILE staying fit and healthy, too!

Being a stay at home mom has a lot of responsibilities, but whatever your job may be, there are down times in your day when you're watching tv or scrolling Facebook. I've learned to take those mindless activities and turn them into a way to help pay bills and be my own boss. 

She doesn't do it every day, but I love when Addison joins me for a workout. On days like today, the calorie burn is the least important thing on my mind. ❤Giving each other winks and thumbs up, "boo-yah" and fist bump, talking about the latest Lion Guard episode, teaching her pointers when she is excited to join in, and quality bonding time over a habit I hope she continues long after we have the chance to do this together.

What kind of legacy will you leave as a result of your habits and lifestyle? I am looking for ladies who can see themselves in who I used to be, and want to see themselves in parts of who I am now. Because I'm not the only person whose life has been changed by becoming a Beachbody coach, and I won't be the last. But it is up to YOU if you join me in being the author of your own future and being in the drivers seat of your physical and financial health.

If you'd like more information about joining my team to see where we go in 2016, please comment below and I will get in touch with you.

Dealing with anger toward your children in a Godly way: God's timing for my personal development reading

          Sometimes your kids can give you big reality/gut checks. When Addie and I were talking before nursing last night, she said in a sad but serious tone "Mom I want you to apologize for spanking me." Now to clarify, it wasn't a spanking but I yanked her towel down off the ring in the bathroom pretty quick in frustration from her not listening to me and it got her hand in the process.
          But, I was frustrated and lost my cool and that's the truth. It's tough when your kid points out a fault you already know. But if I'm going to set a good example for her, I need to show her how to apologize and ask for forgiveness when she does make mistakes. So I apologized and we talked how you can sin when you are angry or if you don't listen to mommy that's a sin too.
          She responded by saying "I don't have sins anymore. God took them and made a hole in the ceiling and flew up to Heaven with them and now they're gone." 
          Then we prayed together. I went first to show her how to say I was sorry for my sin and ask Jesus to help me do better next time. Then she folded her hands, closed her eyes, and prayed an apology and asked Jesus to take that sin away.  We both apologized to each other and forgave each other and made a commitment to (me) take a deep breath first when frustrated and (her) listen to mommy the first time.
          I am so humbled by her innocence, growing faith, and the refreshing honesty she gives me on a daily basis. She is such a blessing from God for my own faith and that pesky pride.

          Fast forward to today. I was reading my personal development while Addison was at school. It was totally God's timing for me to read this chapter today out of Anger: Taming a Powerful Emotion by Gary Chapman. This book is such a blessing. I highly recommend it to everyone.

          Do you ever find yourself letting your anger get the best of you? It's not a sin to be angry! It is a sin to act wrongly because of our anger. We have a responsibility as parents to stop the cycle of not being able to handle our anger effectively and to teach our children to be in control of their emotions.

How does reading a book about anger help me in my business?

Anger: Taming A Powerful Emotion

I intended to read 1 chapter a day of this book and be done within 2 weeks. I bought it at a conference in November after I listened to a seminar on anger. The author is Dr. Gary Chapman who also wrote the book The 5 Love Languages. That book completely changed how Corey and I communicate in our marriage and I believe changed our marriage so much for the better.

Given some recent events that have happened in my family's life I feel like this book was was destined for me by God and I am already one quarter through it in one afternoon! I have highlighted and taken notes all over and I can't wait to pass this along to some members of my family who are really struggling with the emotion of anger and how to deal with it.

So many people, Christians included, feel like anger is such a taboo subject and we aren't supposed to admit that we are angry. This book is teaching me (as did the seminar several months ago) that anger, as an emotion, is rooted in the nature of God as a response to something that is unjust or unholy. Anger is designed to motivate us to take positive action when we encounter an injustice. It's purpose is to motivate us to positive loving action that will leave things better then we found them. This is totally not what mainstream media portrays as anger; they always show us something negative and destructive and that's because people don't know the origin of anger the purpose of anger and they don't know how to keep it from being a raging uncontrolled emotion or how to let not let your body take over you when you're angry.

Anger is the opposite of the feeling of love: love draws you toward someone and anger sets you against them. It's really a poison in your life and in your heart. I have learned and gone through firsthand how freeing it is to reframe how I think of anger and how I deal with it. If you're a Christian you are to be set apart from other people; other people should be able to look at how you live your life and know that there is something different about you, something good. I used to suffer from a lot of anger and fly off the cuff and have outbursts and not really control what I said (I always regretted it), and I had a festering bubble all the time inside of me waiting to explode. That's not a good way to live your life!

Personal development is one of the required behaviors for a Beachbody coach. True, I could be reading a book about marketing or some business topic and I have several of those on my bookshelf and my wish list, but honestly I want to better myself in all areas of my life. I want to be a better mother, a better wife, a better Christian; I don't want to suffer from having anger, depression, or anxiety take over me! I want all over health for my life.

For me, being a Beachbody coach is not about having a perfect body or selling products. Yes, it's helping people discover physical health and wellness through nutrition and fitness, but it is also creating all over health by investing in yourself with personal development, and financial health by sharing this opportunity with others and building your own business. 

If you'd like to see these sort of all-over changes in your life, please reach out to me because YOU are the type of person I want to align with and have on my team!