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Time for Change

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It was this time about 3 years ago that I took a look at myself in the mirror and decided I was finally done being unhappy! I had been stuck in a rut for FAR too long. Looking at pictures of myself from summer vacations really opened my eyes to what was happening. It was slow, but I was steadily gaining weight and finding it harder and harder to fit into my clothes.

August 2012 Not happy with this picture at all!
August 2012
Not happy with this picture at all!

There were a lot of things I didn’t want to admit to myself. I wasn’t REALLY giving it my all with workouts anymore. I was just kinda going through the motions. I wasn’t REALLY eating all that healthy. There was a lot of processed garbage finding its way into my grocery cart. Convenience trumped health. I was complacent, uncommitted and UN-motivated!

I think you go through phases when this starts to happen.

1. DENIAL: It’s my clothes. They shrunk. My scale must be off! (Don’t tell me you haven’t tried to convince yourself with these same lies!)

2. AVOIDANCE: Scale? What scale? I like baggy, stretchy clothes anyway.

3. DEPRESSION: Why is this happening?! I workout! I eat ‘pretty’ healthy food. It’s not fair! Get away from me with that camera! WAHHH!!! I’m going to assume the fetal position in a dark room. Leave me alone!

4. DEFEAT: Well, what the hell. I’m getting older. This is just what happens. There isn’t ANYTHING I can do about it. I’m not going to live the rest of my life worrying about it. I want to ENJOY life and eat whatever the hell I want. Working out is stupid. I don’t care anymore.

5. REALIZATION: I feel like shit. I don’t fit into any of my clothes. I’m tired all of the time. I’m not enjoying life at all right now! I’m sick of feeling like this. I gotta do something!

What stage are you in? If you’re in 1-4, let me save you the trouble and spoil the ending. You’ll eventually get to #5, because no matter how hard we try to convince ourselves that we can’t, or don’t want to feel look and feel healthy, we do. You’re not kidding anyone (or yourself) when you say otherwise.

There’s a happy ending though! 🙂 I had to dig deeper than ever, and really connect with WHY I wanted/needed to make some changes, and really give it my absolute, 100% ALL!

If you want to know EXACTLY what I did…I’ll tell you! 🙂

  • I invested in myself and added strength training to my life! Not just half-ass, cute little pink dumbbells, but a program that taught me chicks CAN and SHOULD lift HEAVY weights! Nothing has changed my body more than that did!
  • I committed to eating 100% CLEAN for 21 days straight! NO processed food, no alcohol, no soda, no eating out, etc. Just whole foods, prepared at home, where I could control every bite. And one Shakeology (all natural, dense nutrition, super food meal replacement that I FIRMLY believe boosted my results!) Now this might seem extreme, but I was so focused on what I wanted, I just laid it all out there to my husband and my family. They were supportive, and only made fun of me a little! 😉
  • I joined a group of other people who were working on their own health and fitness goals, and the support and accountability was the extra OOMPH that had been missing, and I really needed it!

In 25 days, I lost 8 pounds and 9.5 inches! That was the fuel I needed to fuel my fire and keep going!

Clean Eating Results

After 90 days…

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But forget the pounds and the pictures…what you can’t see here is the transformation that took place in how I felt! I couldn’t believe what I was doing! I wasn’t quite done yet! I went on to lose 8 more pounds and about 6 more inches. resultsbefore_after_Collage_results

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So…are you ready to start your journey?! Fall is the PERFECT time to make some changes and turn over a new leaf!

I think Peter Brady said it BEST!

Join me starting Monday October 5 and see what you can achieve when you put your mind to it! We’ll work together to find what’s going to work for you, and get you the results that you’ve been wanting! I’m going to offer exactly what worked for me. A private daily support and accountability group (right on Facebook) where I share tips, recipes, and motivation. We post daily to the group to keep each other on track.

Don’t wait for this. Next thing you know, ready or not, the holidays will be here! Don’t wait until after to get serious. Start now! There are 98 days until 2016! Think of what you could achieve by then!

Deadline to join is September 28!

Your time is now! Fill out the form below…let’s get started.

 

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Skinny Mexican Summer Squash Casserole

Some of my best recipes come from a last minute scan of my kitchen to find some ingredients that might come together and make something edible! Last night was one of those occasions. I had originally planned something entirely different, but had to change plans last minute. I had 1 hour to plan and prepare a meal the whole family would eat (or at least most of them!). 😉

I recently acquired LOTS of summer squash from our farm share, and I was hoping to incorporate at least a couple of them! That was my starting point. Anything “Mexican” is always a big hit at my house, so that was next. Next came some protein, and flavorful additions and boom! This was really very simple to make, and it came together quite quickly. OH! And it’s 21 Day Fix friendly! So there you go!

And here YOU go!

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Mexican Summer Squash Casserole

  • 1-1.25 pounds of lean ground turkey
  • 2-3 medium summer squash (sliced) – I used yellow squash and zucchini
  • 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
  • 1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
  • 1/2 medium onion (chopped)
  • 2-3 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 1 T. olive oil
  • 1 T. chili powder
  • 1 t. cumin
  • 1 t. paprika
  • 1 t. oregano
  • 1/4 t. chipotle chili powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup shredded colby jack (whatever variety you like)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°. Spray a 9×13 inch pan and set aside. In a large skillet, add olive oil and saute the onion and garlic until translucent. Add the ground turkey and cook until brown and done. (Drain if necessary) Remove from pan and set aside. Add squash, beans, and tomatoes, and cook over medium-low for about 5-6 minutes until the squash is just tender. Put meat back into the pan and add the chili power, cumin, paprika, oregano, chipotle chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir everything together over low heat until incorporated and heated through. Pour into the 9×13 inch pan and top with shredded cheese. Bake for approximately 15 minutes – until cheese is bubbly. Let cool for another 15 minutes before cutting into it.

Serves 8: 208 calories/21 g. protein/13 g. carb/4 g. fat – per serving

This recipe is IDEAL for 21 Day Fixers! (See container equivalents in the picture above.)

Not familiar with the 21 Day Fix? Check it out!

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My challengers are getting such GREAT results with it!

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Need some support reaching your fitness and weight loss goals? Jump into my accountability group. It’s all done on Facebook. I proved daily tips, recipes and motivation. We check in daily for the support and accountability that’s often missing when you go it alone!

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Get PiYO and MORE!

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Did you know it was possible to get fit without killing yourself in the gym?

PiYO has been a favorite in my challenge groups since it came out about a year ago. It’s great for anyone who wants to avoid all of the jumping and jarring from traditional cardio workouts, but still wants amazing results! Your joints will thank you! And so will your waistline! I did this program last year along with my marathon training, and it was wonderful for my tight muscles! I improved my strength, flexibility and recovery time SO much! All without any additional wear and tear on my muscles and joints.

“PiYo gives you hardcore definition, intense calorie burn, and allover strength—without weights, without jumps, and without destroying your body.” -Chalene Johnson (creator of PiYo)

What is included in PiYO?

PiYo comes with 8 different workouts that you can do right at home. They are 25 to 45 minutes long, and vary in the target areas they hit.

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Here is a description of the EIGHT/9 workouts:

  1. First up, Align: The Fundamentals (46 mins)
  2. Define: Upper Body is a focused workout (35 mins) that will strengthen and stretch your entire body, while building on the movement patterns you have learned in Align.
  3. Define: Lower Body (25 mins) will shape and tone everything from your glutes, hamstrings, quads and calves gently, yet effectively to help you get sleek and lean legs.
  4. Sweat (35 mins) is a traditional PiYo Workout that is fast paced with body weight strength training and ab work!
  5. An amazing 30 minute Core workout that will hit every muscle in your POWERHOUSE!
  6. PiYo Sculpt (30 mins) uses body weight to generate muscular endurance to stimulate metabolic changes to totally and utterly transform your figure!
  7. Strength Intervals (25 mins): 25 minutes is all you need of this body carving workout!
  8. Drench (45 mins): This workout not only leaves you drenched, but your metabolism will have been kick-started to ensure you scorch away fat!
  9. BONUS Workout when you order through a coach (Like ME!) 🙂

Check out this video!

 

What about results?

Look at my friend Heather who has lost 40 pounds so far with PiYO and Shakeology!

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Here’s the SCOOP! The best deal going is the “All Access Beachbody on Demand Challenge Pack” that will include PiYO and hundreds of other workout programs (strength training, yoga, cardio, kickboxing, dance, etc – nice to have options after you finish PiYO) that you can stream on any internet device/smart tv (like workout Netflix) for one full year, including all new programs that launch within that timeframe. Over $6000 value!

You also get a 30 day supply of Shakeology (speeds results, reduces cravings, improves energy, etc) and the Portion Fix meal plan and containers that has helped so many of my challengers learn what foods to eat and how much – really simplifies nutrition.

Video about Annual All Access challenge pack:

 

And then there is the PiYO Challenge pack, which will come with the program and a 30 day supply of Shakeology along with a 30 day trial of Beachbody on Demand (NOT including the new and premium workouts or new releases). *for only $39 more you get the ALL Access package above! Most bang for your buck – $6000 value!
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Add the 3 Day Refresh for an extra KICKSTART!

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Pick a pack and hop into my next challenge group to get the accountability you need to reach your goals!