Week 2 Summary

Whew, made it two weeks and feeling great. Big changes this week but well worth it and frankly - About Time! 

"I Work Out"

Saturday was a blast. Why? The best saturdays always start with some form of physical activity. Today was basketball for me. In honor of March Madness, I joined a 3 on 3 little basketball tournament with my church members and today was my first game. Woke up pumped and headed over early to watch my roommates first game as well. The tournament was held in a very small gym with carpeted floors... slightly different then playing on hard/waxed floors. Cheering on my roommate only increased my excitement to play. I have to give a shout out to my roomie - she did awesome!

Hour later and I was up. I was the only girl playing but I loved it. Playing full court (okay, so the full court was way smaller then regular sized courts) and constantly running to and fro - heart rate rising. It was a great game with a mixture of sweat and even a little bit of blood. My roommate was cheering from the side lines and frequently gave shout - outs to my "good looking legs." She made references to Shakeology - even saying that I would make some for the winners. Of course she was joking, but it was great. One way or the other I am slowly helping with getting the word out about Shakeology. She claims that she can see a difference, especially in my legs. Do I agree?

Why yes! Have a lost a ton of weight already - No, but that's not the point. I'm working hard to tone my body and stay fit. It might just be me, but I really believe I can tell a difference already. My skin feels tighter and I even my love handles feel smaller and less noticeable. I am waiting till the end of week 4 to do some measurements, but I am excited to read the numbers!

Sunday - life officially changed.
My boss emailed me back and I have finally made the decision to look for another job. I replied that I wanted to take the week to look for another job and would consider the possibility of coming back in the future if things were more in order. It felt good to finally take action after months of worrying and uncertainty. Now I look forward in job hunting - I am currently surged with feelings of worth and great potential. I am a strong, independent woman who can achieve anything my heart desires. There lies the problem - hearts desire. What is it? That is a question I am constantly in search for. However, today I made one step closer in figurring it out.

Week 3 of 90 Day Challenge

Facebook. So open for the world to see...well at least to friends and random people who I knew once. However, I finally decided to post an Instagram photo about Shakeology on my facebook wall. There are only a few close friends of mine who know I am a Beachbody coach and even then I don't think they really understand what that means. They just think I am trying to eat better and workout more. Which is true to an extent.

Was I really coming out though on facebook about bing coach - not really, but this picture was a step. The picture generated a little bit of conversation - found out my friends mom from back home drinks Shakeology. And a high school friend began to ask questions about it. It freaked me out at first - but then I felt more in control. Okay, I totally had help from Amber. She is always my "Go-To" gal who helps me with practically everything. Good thing she loves me!

Click for Recipe

Wait - what are those weird looking blobs in my photo?
Oh, you mean the Shakeology No-Bake Cookies. Not bad eh? Slowly figuring out the secret to eating good and not letting temptations sway you from the path - treats. Healthy treats. Treats you don't have to feel guilty eating. Everybody wants to end dinner on a sweet note, right? Well, just you say no to donuts or cake, doesn't mean you can never eat anything that tastes like it has sugar again. Make healthy yet great tasting treats.

My first attempt at Shakeology cookies turned out not too bad. Well, for starters, I am not a huge fan or regular No-Bake cookies. I ran out of Peanut Butter so the honey took over the taste more - which I actually prefer. Super easy to make and you can store them in your fridge so you can have a nice supply for when that sweet tooth starts to ache.


So, not too shabby for a weekend - quit my job and outed Shakeology on facebook.

Coach Bootcamp

Videos. I watched way too many videos today. I was still sick when I woke and called work off again. So, I spent the morning and afternoon watching the rest of the training videos from my Coach Bootcamp. I had plans later tonight and I didn't want to be too tired. I made the mistake of playing tennis yesterday when I felt even worse. I could not help it though - I have been waiting to play for weeks and the weather finally melted all the snow off the courts. I was not about to let some fever interfere with my tennis time! I also did my Total Body workout even though I told myself all day I wouldn't. But the thought of reporting to my challenge group made me Push Play! So, besides my cardio workout, major rest for today. Anyways, here are a few things I learned or reflected upon today.

Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

TedTalks - Simon Sinek

• People buy WHY you do it. 
• A company will always know What they make. Most employees will know How they make those products. But only a small handful will know Why they make it. 
• Apple is so successful primarily because they reverse the order - they tell you WHY. Why they have this product and why - to better your life. It is through the WHY people believe what you believe. 
• Trust = consistency 

Personal Goals:

• Training for a half-marathon in June
• Read more good literate books every month
• Listen to uplifting/motivational talks (TedTalks)
• Feel more confident at work - not be a "doormat"
• I want to be more relient on my bike not car
• Feel control of my life and actions
• A real lifestyle change - good habits
• Different job that leads towards future goals

It is always good to write personal goals once and awhile and keep updating them! Most of those are not ones I can check off after a day or two. They are larger goals that can be accomplished by the small choices I made daily. After joining my challenge group I feel I am always being asked my weekly goals, 3, 6, and 12 months goals as well. It is nice to have some ideas of what I hope for in my future and recognize the weekly goals I can place now in order to lead to those larger ones. 

Shakeology - goes hand in hand with my workout experience. Though I have only just begun, I can already see improvements in my life. My body has never responded well to milk and certain liquids. I usually choose Almond milk but my body still had a semi-difficult time with that. I now drink Almond milk every day with my Shakeology and my body feels just fine. It is odd - but true. Shakeology has seriously become a highlight in my day, I crave it all the time. I never thought I would feel that way towards it, but I do. Shakeology has even helped my morning breakfasts. My body seriously never liked anything in the early mornings except toast. Toast has always been my go-to fix whenever my stomach hurt. I eat two slices almost every single morning. After a week of shakeology I started having cereal with almond milk along with my toast. So far so good! It has been along time since my stomach has allowed me to eat cereal for actual breakfast. It has been great!

Here is what I learned about Shakeology: 

Click to learn more

• Carl Daikeler's (co-creator of Beachbody) wife, Isabelle, put together a "dream team" of ingredients for a healthy "shake"
• Every bag is tested for integrity in a lab - not factory. 
• Comparing Shakeology to other protein shakes - enzymes and adaptogons and superfoods
• It is basically jammed packed with everything you really need

There you have it. Okay, so that is not everything I learned but it is a short summary. I've been talking with Amber throughout the whole day and she has finally boosted me with enough courage and determination to talk with my Boss. Short story - I have not been getting paid consistently and I can longer wait. It has been a problem for a very long time now, but I love my job and boss and kept hoping the situation would get better. While in this "Take Control" high, I have decided that I deserve better and that I need to take action. I originally was going to wait till monday to talk with my Boss in person, but my sister feared I would back out. So, she convinced me to write an email that briefly portrayed my feelings about the situation and how I would like to further talk with her Monday. Short and simple. I felt relieved sending the email - but also nervous for monday. I will keep you posted on how it goes. I would like to just add real quick - my family has been wanting me to quit this job or talk with my boss for a long time now. However, I had lacked the confidence I have gained over these last few weeks. I can't wait and hope for things to get better on their own but I must take action and control of my life. I choose if change happens. 

Why I'm a Beachbody Coach?

Sick day! Woke up this morning feeling quite under the weather. When I wasn't asleep in my bed, I was catching up on the bootcamp. I decided not to waste the day just on the account of being sick. So, snug in my bed with computer on my lap, I dug in and started listening to short videos and writing answers. First step - hardest question I had to answer: why I wanted to be a Beachbody Coach. After much thought and reflection of the last couple weeks, I first needed to answer a few questions.

 So, WHY am I a Beachbody Coach? I want to help people "Take Control" of their lives. I want to help people see that there is a difference between fast result diets and true lifestyle change. However, being a coach places responsibility on myself as well, I have to lead by example. Yes, I want to help others realize their potential not just physically, but mentally as weel. But I also want to learn from them. You never know who will read your story and relate to you - it is so important to share experiences  So this me - sharing mine.

Taking an Active Role

Mid week two and already I am making changes in my mind set but it was time to take an active role. Work was cancelled and instead of the usual sleeping-in routine, I decided to make the whole day count. Not only did I hit the gym early in the morning, I also chose to walk there instead of taking my car. It is only about a 10 minute walk and I really want to cut out driving as mush as possible. I am starting to discover that running affects my emotions - I always end up shedding a tear or close to one. In my defense, I run on the treadmill in the Cinema room at the gym. So there is always a movie playing and I am already emotionally vulnerable while watching movies. My low this week - crying to The Water Boy.... Embarrassing? You bet - but hey, can't help it. My favorite part about running in the cinema room is how dark it gets. I love how it is really hard to see people because I don't like people seeing me run or workout. That is why it is difficult for me to run outside - too many witnesses. Plus, it is a lot easier for me to simply walk while trying to run outside. The treadmill is in constant motion so unless I pull the plug I can't stop. I've come to find that the best movies to run to are the action packed ones with chasing and car races. However, don't expect to hear anything but the background music. I usually plug into my ipod and listen to fast, upbeat songs while watching the movie. Hey - I need all the motivation I can get to keep me running!

After the gym a friend took me to a shooting range. Okay, when I first heard about this I envisioned being out in the middle of a field and doing summersaults while shooting.... Not a pro here, nor have I ever shot a gun before. So, no fields, just an indoor booth with a target you move to desired distance. It was awesome though. I shot a few rounds from a pistol and a rifle. Used the rifle scope and reenacted a scenario that I was being attacked by zombies. Let's just say I would probably be better off hiding on a rooftop or armed with a machete.... I pretended to be all gangster with the pistol - emptied a clip as fast as possible, reloaded and emptied again. To be honest, I was really placing myself in the Resident Evil movies. All in all, it was a great experience, though I am not condoning playing with guns - I was still being really safe and careful. 

After feeling empowered from the shooting range, I went home and jumped onto a Team Forward Fitness Call online. Originally I had not planned listening in, but a few minutes before it started I read Brigitte's post on facebook that there were spots still open, so I made a choice and jumped on. I am really glad I did because Brigitte, along with two guest coaches, really explained what being a Beachbody coach is really about and how it all works. I had no idea beforehand! I learned about Coaching bootcamps and becoming an Apprentice Coach. When the call ended I immediately called Amber and talked to her about all the information I learned. I really wanted to join a bootcamp. The call instilled a fiery drive in me to become more active as a Beachbody Coach. I still have a lot to learn and not ready to start my own challenge group or anything, but I wanted to learn more. 

Turns out, Amber just started a Bootcamp under Brigitte, so I sent her a message to ask if it was too late to join. Well, I made it in and just had about a week of work to catch up on - easy peasy. Week two in a challenge group and now I've joined a coach bootcamp. I already felt like I was on facebook a lot but I have a feeling I'm about to become Real close with it. Oh boy.

Goals

Week two and I feel empowered. All my life I've never been great at committing and now by simply joining this challenge group, I've told myself that I can choose and can stay committed. A lifestyle change does not only focus on eating healthy or exercising more, it goes beyond that to mental wellness and positive thinking. Many laugh, and on most occasions so do I, but there really is a thing to the whole "Positive Power" belief. There are months where I have to wake up and consciously tell myself that I am happy and that "today" was going to be a great day. I believe Happiness is a choice. One you have to make till it becomes like muscle memory. "Fake it till you Make it" right?

This week at work I have been spending most of the time trimming large trees. At a glance doesn't seem so very hard, but in reality, it is a workout for the arms. I'm literally holding these pruning shears either above my head or at very odd angles, while trying to cut branches. Some of the branches might as well be small tree trunks! Anyway, point is - by the time I get home I feel as if I've already worked out. Don't confuse this with complaining, I love my job because of this reason. I love being physically active and enjoy the labor. It's the days I have off I dread. As nice as it is to have a whole day free - that's when I tend to waste most of the day and then there is the whole kitchen by my side issue.

However, this week I've really tried to start implementing weekly goals into my schedule. In the past I used to write my goals down on random pieces of paper. At the end of the week it was anyone's good guess where those papers went. So, I've been keeping a record of my day-to-day activities and goals along the way. That is what initially started this blog. In fact, writing in my blog has been a constant goal every day. So, beginning of a new week and here are some of the goals I've written down.

• Contact Parks and Recreation - research
• Family History - become more involved
• Taxes - get all my paperwork in order
• Work on blog

Not a whole lot of goals, but it is only the beginning of the week. Monday night I went on a Family History tour in Provo and learned how to use the various machines and computer programs they have in relation to Family History work. It is pretty amazing and I really want to set aside specific time assigned to work more on my family history.

Tuesday was a mentally uplifting day. While at work I decided to listen to The Slight Edge by Jeff Olsen. Amazing. Okay, I have only listened to about 1/3 of the abridged audio version, but I have already learned a lot so far. My Fitness Challenge group coach, Brigitte, sent us a link highly recommending us to listen to it. She sent it to us last week but I never looked at it till now....
I usually turn on Pandora while working, but today I decided to listen to The Slight Edge instead and I got to say I am glad. I am not going to hash out everything I heard/learned because I think you should all go out and listen to it yourselves. Plus, I have never been good at retelling things...ask any of my friends. However, I will share the most important things that stood out to me during those few hours.

First off - Control. When we blame others we automatically give up any control we had. If we are to succeed in life we have to start taking responsibility for everything in our lives, even if it seems unfair. Wow - did I need to hear this! There are some things from my past that are difficult to "move on" from and "let go." I have been trying to truly forgive and forget, but it is so difficult at times. The word "unfair" often plays a key role in unhappy memories or old grudges. Crying "unfair" does not change our situation, it only makes us lose our control. I really like this. I decided then and there, standing on a ladder in the tree tops, that I was going to try to take full responsibility for my life. Does this mean I will say I broke the dish when my sister breaks one - No. It means I will take responsibility of the situation. I will try to turn the negative into a positive. Easier said then done, but making the mental choice is the first step.

daveharman.com

Second - "Tomorrow." How often do I wait for the tomorrow that never comes. Remember how I have all those unfinished projects, well they are incomplete because I added them to the "tomorrow" list. Jeff Olsen shares a story of two brothers faced with the decision of setting up an IRA (retirement fund). One chooses to wait for "tomorrow" while the other takes an active role in his life and sets one up. A couple years later they meet up and the first is surprised to hear that his brother has already set up a comfortable retirement fund. He himself had not, he had nothing. By starting later then his brother he would have to work a whole lot more before retirement was an option. I immediately felt guilty. My father had sent an email a month ago suggesting that I looked into setting up an IRA. I had read the email and told myself "tomorrow." No joke. After work I called my father up and got the information I needed to start the process of setting up an IRA. I no longer want to keep pushing things off. Why wait?

Third - Compound. Every decision counts in the larger picture. If I go running today it does not mean I am healthy. If I choose not to go running today that does not make me unhealthy. The choices alone do not label be as one or the other. It is a compound process. The choice to run today increases my chances of choosing to run the next day. Not running increases the chance of saying no to a run the following day. Simple, right? The small choices in life start heading us down particular pathways.

Okay, there you have it. A lot of mind changing thoughts this week and it is only Tuesday. I realized that there was a lot of changing I had wanted to do, and not just physically. The workouts have been great and I am really starting to enjoy Yoga, but I feel like I have taken a further step. A step towards true lifestyle change. One that improves my mind and outlook on life. Goals are no longer to be wasted on a stray piece of paper, but written down with purpose and the power of knowing that I can and will accomplish them.

blog.kw.com

Week 1 Summary

Done and Done! I have survived week one and so far it has not been as bad as I previously thought it would be. Shakeology turned out to be better then I had hoped and I could already tell small differences in my body's digestion. Normally drinking milk or even Almond Milk would upset my stomach - especially in the morning. Oddly, drinking Shakeology with Almond Milk every day has been fine on my stomach. I was waiting all week for my body to turn against me but nothing. It feels fine. I was not really expecting that, but pleased it has. Next week I plan to try out having cereal for breakfast instead of just toast. I love cereal but my stomach is so sensitive in the mornings, that it truly only enjoys toast that early. I have a feeling that is all going to change! 

Every day I post in my Fitness challenge group how my day has been and I thought I'd share a few of those posts with you here.

On the Road

Roadtrips. Highly not suggested for your first week of a 90 day challenge. A couple friends and I decided to hit the road thursday and travel to Moab, Utah. I must say though - proud that I stuck to wheat crackers and trail mix for my car munchies. I was able to get my cardio workout done before we took off, so I didn't have to worry about that. Drank my Shake-O and headed out the door ready for warmer weather down south.

Friday morning I woke up early for my Total Body workout. Blended some shakeology for myself and my sister, Sarah. She was surprised that the shake didn't taste so terrible. Amber had talked to her about shakeology before and joining a challenge group. We will see if she decides to join! After breakfast my friends and I jumped back into the car and away we went to Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. We first stopped at 4 Corners and took a small hike around the area.

Next stop - Mesa Verde. Took a tour to one of the Pueblos built inside the side wall of a cliff. It was fairly intact and we were able to walk around part of it. I tried to maintain healthy snacks and not over eat, but by dinner time we were sitting in a Mexican Restaurant...  All in all, I spent most of the day driving around a few states and I was ready for some major physical activity. Fortunately saturday brought just that.

Arches National Park. One of my favorite places in Utah. Workout done and sandwiches packed, we drove through the entrance and made our way to Delicate Arch. The first part of the hike is always the worse - straight up! The weather was perfect. We could feel the warmth of the sun the whole way up till we reached the shaded areas. There was still snow/ice on the ground in the shade, but most of the hike was in the sun. We arrived at the arch with only a few others there before us. I have never seen Delicate Arch so empty, we practically had free range over the entire area. I busted out my SportMixer Blender Bottle and mixed some ice water with shakeology. Made my friends have some along with my sister again. Can't miss an opportunity to drink shakeology with arches as my background! Got to say - I was surprised how well the shake tasted even though I used water instead of Almond Milk. Though, I did make sure I shook my Blender Bottle really well and for a good amount of time. My friends did not particularly enjoy it, but I thought it was great. Must be the taste buds adapting to my new lifestyle change! At least I am able to maintain my workouts and shakeology while traveling - definitely one of the most healthiest trips I've taken!