My first Color Dash: Having my MIND tell my BODY to keep going!

          A 5k is what started my entire fitness journey. I believe I mentioned this in my very first post, but my sister in law got me to sign up in late 2013 for a summer 2014 Warrior Dash and I started from NOTHING and in 7 months lost weight, got fit, overhauled my nutrition, and ran 2 Warrior Dash obstacle 5k races in July and August 2014. My goal when I signed up for those races and started training was to prove my husband wrong. He didn't think I could do the obstacles or run/finish the race. What better incentive to work hard and kick butt?! Fast forward to July 2015, and I decided to try a Color Dash and made it my personal goal to RUN the entire thing. I may run slow, but I didn't want to walk. I start out every day with Shakeology, so why wouldn't I also on a race day?

 





 

          There were so many people there!! It was a bottleneck at the beginning and when I started jogging it took forever to get past the big crowd. During the first kilometer my knees and body were a little sore getting into form because I do not normally run for exercise. It was a nice course, starting and finishing at the Bedell Family YMCA in Spirit Lake, Iowa. I learned that half of the race proceeds went back to my community- what a great cause!! There were a lot of families and kids. I think maybe next year I'll bring Corey and Addison along, but it was really nice to just be alone with my thoughts and run.

 

          I did walk through the color stations so I could get good coverage on my shirt. Unfortunately, even though I did the recommended vinegar soak beforehand, all of my colors washed out!! :( I took a sip at the water station but I find that as long as I have gum in my mouth when I run, I don't get dry mouth. I finished the race in around 30 minutes. My 2 timers were off because I began behind the official race start line. The time wasn't super important, although I will aim for improvement next time. The big thing was that I ran, had a good time, and pushed through when I was getting tired at the end. Your body can do so much MORE than what your mind tells you it can.

 

 

Have you ran any races before? Are you competitive with the clock, another person, or just yourself? If you'd like to be a part of the Beachbody family that has been so instrumental in my success, comment below or click the "contact me" tab above!



How I took back my health and joined my daughter on the playground

Playgrounds are supposed to be fun, but I used to see them as punishment. Why, you ask?
I had a bit of an a-ha moment at the playground today with Addison and needed to take a quick video. Please watch and share if you think this would resonate with anyone else in your life.

 

Living a life of "action" vs "inaction"

*Please watch** This is from my heart.

A passage from Daniel Levitin's The Organized Mind really struck me today. 3 ingrained psychological principles lead humans toward INACTION in a group. 

1. The desire to conform

2. Social comparison

3. Diffusion of responsibility

This was my life before becoming a Beachbody coach. In the last year and a half, I've learned how to be healthy, found an inner confidence to be myself and to not care what the group is doing or thinking, and to take responsibility for myself and also for teaching others to do the same. 

For a free sneak peek at what it is I do as a coach, comment below and I'll get you added to the group!

T25: can you really see changes in 25 minutes a day for 5 days a week?

Winter 2014

 

          As I'm doing #throwbackthursday throughout my fitness journey inspired by Beachbody, I have come to the late fall/early winter of 2014 and my first taste of Shaun T. I am not a huge fan of cardio because I always flash back to times as a kid being overheated or feeling like my heart was going to beat out of my chest or about to pass out from overexertion. Granted, during those times I was not in shape, but those memories still affect me today. I was looking for something new and was really intrigued by T25 being only 25 minutes a day and 5 days a week. Something being 10 weeks long was a big change for me because PiYo was 8 weeks and the 21 Day Fix is obviously 21 days long.

          I started T25 in late October and finished at the end of December. I continued using the 21 Day Fix meal plan with the portion control containers but did allow more leeway for fun holiday indulgences. I HATE feeling deprived...that makes me want *whatever it is* even more! Plus I am learning to focus on the scale less and less so I knew it wouldn't be the end of the world if I gained a pound or 2 over the holidays. But WOW Shaun T makes you WORK in those 25 minutes and I was a sweaty, smelly mess after pretty much every workout. The calorie counts on my Garmin Vivofit were really high for being only 25 minutes. That's what cardio will do for ya: burn calories! 

          T25 comes in 2 rounds: 5 weeks of Alpha (your foundation) and the 5 weeks of Beta (when the moves get harder and some weights/resistance band are incorporated into the workouts). There is also 4 weeks of Gamma *sold separately* that focuses on strength. I am actually redoing T25 and adding Gamma to it now in July 2015 so I will add a post about Gamma when I finish it. Alpha, being the foundation, is a great introduction to fitness. There is a modifier to make the moves low impact because there is a LOT of jumping and even my knees needed a few weeks to get over their creakiness when doing the moves. I love how Shaun builds up to a difficult move through a progression. He doesn't have you start out doing a high knee run: first you march, then slow jog, then fast. Every move is taught in a progression. My daughter Addison learned the word "focus" during my time doing T25. The workout is actually called Focus:T25 and many times a workout you will hear Shaun telling you what the focus for a particular move is, or to keep focused, etc. So this workout has been dubbed "the focus workout" by Addison.

          I know the difference between 25 and 30 minutes is not that much, but in a heart-pumping workout....5 minutes is a huge difference! I loved that I could get in a super sweaty workout in less than half an hour and still have time for holiday preparations. Since I had only done shorter calendars before, the workouts got a little stale after 5 weeks. Especially because you do each workout 1-2 times a week. There are 5 workouts in each phase, but Friday is a double day so you'll do a workout twice in one week. I ended up mostly doing 1 workout Friday and the other workout Saturday and taking Sunday off. Personally, having 2 days without a workout starts me on the slippery slope of then skipping again Monday...and having to get back on the wagon.

          The biggest difference I saw in myself after 10 weeks of T25 was my core. It was like every move in the workouts secretly activated my core. I maintained my weight, which isn't bad considering I did this during the holidays and did let myself indulge a bit. I lost 1.5" total, with a tiny bit coming from my thighs, hips, and waist. My picture, I think, shows the best transformation. I think my core strength changed the most, and my endurance for cardio did too. So I may not have become a Shaun T groupie, but I did love this workout and if you need a kick butt workout (almost all of the workouts require no equipment) in less than half an hour, this is the one for you!

Coming soon from Shaun T: CIZE

Have you heard about CIZE? It is the newest Beachbody workout from Shaun T, the creator of T25 and Insanity. Cize is being called "the end of exercize". It's being released at Summit in Nashville in mid July 2015...so possibly 1 in more week!

Now, you need to know one little piece of info. It's a dance program. I know. I know. You CAN'T dance. Guess what...neither can I! I'm serious. Shaun T will TEACH you how to dance step by step and you will definitely have fun doing it. And the best part is that you are doing this at HOME so no one's going to see you do it but you! PHEW! Cize is a 4 week program and you'll be burning fat and calories while you are mastering everyday moves Shaun T has turned into choreography routines.

I had the opportunity to sample a complete workout from this program from Beachbody On Demand and I had fun! Don't judge, but here's my video trying out Cize.

 

What do you think? If it looks like fun, click here to be added to my mailing list to be the first to know when Cize is released in July! http://www.cizetbb.com/?referringRepId=352740

What I've lost in 1 year with Beachbody, and what I've gained

**I started this post and then it got lost...but better late than never

to show my 1 year transformation story with Beachbody!**

1 year ago Monday I started the 21 Day Fix with my husband- officially kicking off our Beachbody transformations. This Monday we started the 21 Day Fix Extreme. A year to the day! So here is a comparison of what I've lost in 1 year. But I've also gained...and what I've gained isn't shown by the scale or a measuring tape.

 

I've gained knowledge about nutrition:

• You don't have to make a drastic change to make a difference. Try first going from white bread to wheat to whole grain, or even Ezekiel bread; or go from flavored chemical-laden regular yogurt to Greek yogurt to plain Greek yogurt with your own flavorings.
• Generally, you should build your meal around a protein and use carbs sparingly. I used to begin every meal plan with a carb or always add bread/butter, biscuit, fries, etc. to every meal. Not any more!
• The more healthy the food is, the larger space it should take up on your plate.
• You can't really overeat on veggies or fruits.
• What a proper portion looks like, and how many portions I need of what type of food each day.

I've gained confidence:

• No one else's thoughts should dictate how I feel about myself.
• If I don't love and accept my body, who will??
• If I don't treat my body with respect for the amazing things it can do, how will my daughter learn to do that?
• My mood should not depend on a number on the scale.

I've gained strength, energy, and muscle definition:

• I have more energy than my daughter and can get up earlier in the day to get more done.
• I can do things around the house without having to ask my husband when he gets home from work.

I could go on and on, but I'll stop here. If you'd like this type of transformation - inside and out - in your life, please reach out to me! I'd love to help you achieve this for yourself.

Strawberry Picking: a fun family activity centered on a healthy food

          Have you ever been strawberry picking? We just went Saturday- it was the first time for any of us. We went to Getting's Garden, located outside of Sheldon, Iowa (http://gettingsgarden.com). It was so much fun. It's an amazing opportunity to teach my daughter where her food comes from and also make fun family memories.

          I thought it was so cool how many strawberries were on each stem: big red ones next to tiny green ones, and a few flowers mixed in that haven't even started growing their strawberries. I love being in nature and seeing God's wonderful creation.

          As my husband I were prepping some of our freshly picked strawberries for the freezer yesterday, I got to thinking: how do other people prep their strawberries? Growing up, my mom would just chop the top off to get the green off. I got a huller in grad school because I thought it was the most novel invention. In reality, you have to shove it in there, wiggle it around, and almost scrape it to the side as you lift it out in order to actually get the stem and leaves off. Who wants mushed strawberries and to do that much work just to get the stem off? We picked 2 flats worth of strawberries and I found that the stems came off super easy just pulling with my finger. Sometimes I used my thumbnail to get right at the base of it. My daughter Addison (3 years old) could even do it.

          So I decided to try all 3 methods next to each other. What can I say...I needed some excitement in those oceans of strawberries. ;) One thing I am always conscious of is waste. I try not to waste or throw away anything unless absolutely necessary. Cutting the stem off leaves quite a bit of waste, the huller is a little better, but just pulling it off wastes no edible part of the strawberry at all! Not to mention that you don't need to use any tool but your own fingers! This is something your young child can do with you and you don't need to worry about knife safety or anything. We ended up prepping 47 cups worth of strawberries, so cutting the top off of each would generate a lot of waste! Pulling the stems off just left a heap of green. 

          Now I've got 47 pre-portioned bags of cut strawberries in my deep freezer to add to our Shakeology each morning. (To those who might think it's funny I am worried about waste but still used plastic bags...we reuse them MANY times before throwing them away. There are some conveniences I still use but it's not like I had any other way to store almost 50 cups of strawberries.)

So tell me: 

Have you been strawberry picking?

How do you prep your strawberries?

I'd love to hear from you to see if this idea has occurred to you before!

Freedom comes in many forms

What do you see in this picture that could possibly have to do with freedom?

 I see a freshly cut lawn that I was able to do myself, without needing Corey to start the mower for me. Last year, I could not do that. Doing Les Mills Pump has made me ‪#‎stronger‬, a "non-scale victory" impacting my daily life. Now I have the ‪#‎freedom‬ to surprise my husband with a mowed lawn when he gets home.
Thursday is ‪#‎payday‬ for Beachbody coaches. I am having my best month yet as a coach. I'm not saying this to brag AT ALL on myself, but rather this amazing ‪#‎opportunity‬ I joined. Now I also have the freedom to contribute to my family's bills, and just maybe surprise my husband with an awesome present when he graduates with his Master's degree on May 9th.
What freedoms can joining my team give you??

Sharing more than my highlight reel: getting real with you all

You all have seen my progress pics, sweaty post-workout selfies, or action pics. Earlier this week I posted how I've lost 40 pounds in the last 16 months from Shakeology and Beachbody programs like the 21 Day Fix, PiYo, T25, and Les Mills Pump. The stats and posed shots look great, but I still suffer from times of frustration because I still do not look "perfect" or how I'd like to be. You see, I've NEVER had abs, and I've had stretch marks since junior high when I gained a lot of weight but didn't hit a vertical growth spurt until a couple years later. My core has tightened a LOT in the last 16 months, but there is still a lot of excess skin on top that I'm working on, and those stretch marks don't show any sign of leaving. But you know what? I don't want to just post my "highlight reel"- I want to actually BE REAL with you. Throughout this journey I have come to love my body and the miracle of carrying a baby for 9 months and nursing for 36 months (and counting). I might never have a completely taut tummy. But I never want my daughter to think that her outward appearance is what defines her. So I'm showing you my "flab" today to show you that I'm not perfect. Looking perfect is not how I measure my success. It's how I feel on the inside.

 



Beachbody's motto is: decide, commit, succeed. My story started with a decision 1 year ago, I commit and recommit daily to making myself better, and I find little successes along the way. I want my friends, YOU, to find this life changing transformation in their life. All I'm asking for is for you to make that decision and commit to it with me. I'll help you succeed, just like my coach did with me. I would love to help you start this type of inner and outer transformation. Please reach out to me via email, Facebook, or comment below.

The 3 Day Refresh: a safe, fast cleanse to beat a plateau or break frombad habits

Summer 2014

          It's pretty easy to eat clean when there's no outside temptation. My small town has about 0 options for eating out (McDonald's, Subway, Hardee's, DQ, and 3 pizza places) so my husband and I rarely eat out. My hometown, on the other hand, has just about every restaurant you can think of- one of the perks of living in the 'burbs of Chicago...but is it really a perk? I stayed with my parents for 3 weeks in August 2014. I love my husband and am so grateful that he works so hard for me to be a stay at home mom and that he lets me take extended trips to see my family a couple times a year.

          I was doing great at working out while at my parents' house, but I'm only human, and i couldn't resist the temptations of all of my favorite restaurants I never get to eat at where I live. I did have healthy meals at home, and watched my portions when we ate out, but the difference in my diet was making a difference in how I felt. It's really amazing how your body responds to the fuel you put in it. A couple days before I was due to end my trip was my 10 year high school reunion. I can't believe I've been out of high school for 10 years already! It doesn't feel like that long because I've focused on smaller chunks of time: 4 years of college, 2 years of grad school, and now 4 years living in Iowa. But I digress.

          I wanted to look my best for my reunion, but I also wanted to refresh my system and break away from eating out before I went back to Iowa. Beachbody came out with the 3 Day Refresh to serve a few purposes: a clean break from bad habits, a jumpstart to weight loss, or to break a plateau. I was most interested because it was a "cleanse" but you still got to eat real food! Since it only lasts for 3 days, I figured it would be easy to stick too as well. Each day on the 3 Day Refresh you drink 2 Vanilla Fresh protein shakes, 1 Fiber Sweep shake, 1 Shakeology, as well as several snacks and small meals of real food from an approved list/recipes.

          Many people, myself included, have done a 3 day "Shakeology cleanse", but Shakeology wasn't meant to be used as a sole means of nutrition. The Vanilla Fresh has extra protein and nutrients, and tastes much like vanilla Shakeology. The Fiber Sweep must be drunk quickly or it gets chunky/thick because of the fiber. I drank it quickly and found it tasted like lemon and only had some slight gas and an extra bathroom trip right away on day 1. I was very pleasantly surprised about that because when you think "cleanse" and hear "fiber sweep" you might think you'll be on the toilet the whole time and feel terrible. I found this to not be the case!

          Because I am very picky and do not like most vegetables, I did not follow the eating plan- I didn't cheat, but instead actually didn't eat all of what I was allowed! I recommend following the meal plan correctly, BUT I did not have any issues with low blood sugar, feeling weak, jittery, or lacking energy. (I do suffer from hypoglycemia so I was definitely on the lookout for symptoms of that with the low calorie intake of these 3 days.) On the contrary, I felt so energized and literally refreshed on the 3 Day Refresh! The recommendation is for light activity or to take a break from your usual workouts- again, because of the low daily calorie intake (just under 1,000), but I didn't quite follow that either. These are MY experiences, but I will tell you to stick to the program as it is laid out! I did PiYo 2 of the days but the other I went to a live Body Attack class taught by a friend. I took a break near the end, but I had the stamina for an hour-long intense cardio workout while doing the Refresh. I had SO MUCH energy, but not the crazy jittery caffeine kind: the kind you get from putting amazing fuel in your body!

          I could not have had a more positive experience with the 3 Day Refresh. I also lost 4 pounds and 1.25"...all in 3 days!! Belly bloat be gone, and just in time for my reunion. 💟 I will definitely be doing the 3 Day Refresh again as a quarterly or bi-annual thing, or after my next long stay with my parents.