A new meaning to "business casual" wardrobe: working toward financial freedom in my pajamas

If you showed up to your next business meeting looking like this, would you still have a job?



I was:

-still half asleep

-in my pjs

-sporting bed head

-feeding my daughter breakfast

-with my best friends

-following my own daily schedule

-GROWING MY BUSINESS!

          Intrigued? As a Beachbody coach, I set my own hours, I work with who I want to, I am PRESENT for my daughter, I am growing personally, I keep myself accountable for my own fitness, I earn a paycheck, and I partner with other people who want to do the same!

          We paid for our hotel stay from our recent road trip entirely from my coaching income without having to sweat it coming from my husband's teaching salary! But you know what? In the past, we haven't been able to take road trips or vacations without my parents...because they paid for everything for us. Like...we didn't even have extra money to leave a tip on the dinner out that they would buy. Granted, I love my parents and I love being spoiled by them and they love spoiling us (my mom's love language is most definitely gifts)...but as a 29 year old I want to be able to pay for things myself and have that pride of doing things for my daughter without having to always say "Grandma bought us that."

          Before we had Addison, I would pick a reservation at the CHEAPEST place I could find when Corey and I had to travel. I have nothing against hotels that at least have clean sheets and warm rooms for $70 a night, but with a 3 year old I want something a little bigger, more amenities, and things that make traveling less stressful. I discovered the Drury Inn in Kansas City. They include *everything* in their stay! 2 hot meals a day (really good ones), popcorn and pop in the lobby, wifi, parking, fitness center, and they are walking distance to Kauffman Stadium which is where we went for our recent trip. You can't find that in a hotel for $70 a night! You do pay for those premium perks, though. Before Beachbody I would have never even dreamed of  spending over $100 a night for a hotel, or staying more than 1 night in a row! But thanks to a couple hours of dedicated time daily building my business over the last year, I've been able to enjoy the fruits of my labor. We are still in debt for student loans and on a tight budget, but having a bit of breathing room for fun stuff like this makes all the difference in the world. And I know that I will continue moving up from here.

I have been so blessed by the coaching opportunity and if you're not on board, you need to be! Please reach out to me and share with others if this post resonated with you or if you know someone who could benefit from this opportunity.

Beachbody does not guarantee any level of success or income from the Team Beachbody Coach Opportunity. Each Coach's income depends on his or her own efforts, diligence, and skill. See our Statement of Independent Coach Earnings located in the Coach Online Office for the most recent information on our Coaches' actual incomes." In addition, please provide prospective and current Coaches with the link to the Statement of Independent Coach Earnings, http://tbbcoa.ch/TBB_SOICE

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.

 

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!

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!

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.