Taking control

I don't care about the latest fashion. I don't care about shoes or purses. I don't need a daily stop at Starbucks. I don't run out every time a new version of the iPhone comes out...in fact I've never even had an iPhone. Instead I choose to invest in things that will benefit my health and the health of my family. Workout dvds, Shakeology, healthy food...those are my vices. Some people can't justify the cost of these items. They say, “$120 for a workout program is just too much.” or “I can't afford to buy healthy food at the store.” Really?! Something that is going to give you better health and very likely add years to your life is not worth the money but a new pair of shoes or the latest electronic gadget is? In a few years, or maybe even a few months, the shoes will be in the back of the closet and the phone will be obsolete. But what about your body? Is it not the single most important thing you will ever have? I mean, without it, you would be non-existent, right? And you know that $120 I spent on that workout program a year or two ago? It still works and I still use it! For one year's time with that one program, it cost me .32 a day. Do you still think $120 is too much?

What I'm trying to say is that it is all about priorities. It's easy to throw down $5 a day on that mocha-frappa-whatever every day and not think twice, but that's $150 a month; $1825 a year!! And what good did it do for you? Can you honestly say that your health is better for it? I know I can say that about the $3 a day I spend on Shakeology. Choices. That's all it is. You can continue to make excuses for yourself or you can wake up and take control of your own life! I woke up 3 years ago and haven't looked back since. I can't even understand the person I used to be. 220 lbs!! I don't know how I even lived like that.

Now look, it takes commitment to make these changes. Just spending the money to buy the workout program is meaningless if you are just going to throw it on the shelf to collect dust. If you are going to do that, then no, it's not worth the money! Don't buy it. Continue to take yourself further down the road of poor health. But you are better than that, right?! You are strong! Nothing stands in your way! So get started and don't stop! A year from now, you will look in the mirror and say, “Wow! Look what I've done. Look how much I've accomplished!” That will be a great day! Don'tcha think? :-)

Figuring it all out

Well, it's been awhile since I've come here to share my thoughts so I figure it's time to get them out! I thought the holidays were really hard this year but I also thought that once they were over, I'd be better about my eating...wrong! I started off January with the Shakeology cleanse and was absolutely thrilled to be back to my pre-holiday weight and to have that fresh start but after that I started letting the bad habits creep right back in. My weekends have always been the hardest for me and for the whole month of January, I ate out just about every one of them. The past two weeks I also let the bad eating and junk food creep out into the weekdays! I'm all for having a little indulgence throughout the week but I'm talking full blown eating entire bags of chips, candy bars, and fast food meals bad! Lately, I've just been having such a hard time remembering my goals and making the choices I know I won't regret the following day. So, the past few days, I've been trying to pick my brain as to what is going on with me!

The biggest and most obvious factor is, of course, stress. Try as I might to keep it at bay, it just keeps coming back for more. The latest stress-er to come about is the upcoming loss of my husband's job. Although, we'd known it was very likely to happen, when the news finally came in, it did bring about a good deal of panic for me. I see the bills stacked up and our savings depleted, our house about to foreclose and the fact that my husband has already been searching for a better job for the past two years with absolutely no luck and I don't know how anyone couldn't be worried in this situation. Also the lease with our apartment is ending the day before my husband's last day on the job. There's just so many things all coming at us at once! Things are about to change quite significantly in the next few months...whether good or bad remains to be seen. So this is a biggie and I know it plays a part in the way I've been eating but it's also played a part in the fact that I've been working out more because that's my other outlet for stress. Seriously, don't ever let stress be a reason not to workout because it helps soooo much! Get up and do it!

The other thing I came up with and probably something that so many others do is to get into that 'all or nothing' mentality. I've been getting so strict with myself during the week...eating all the right things, counting calories to a T, not eating a single morsel of candy...that I think by the time the weekend comes, I have just made myself nuts and I end up going off the deep end! I then feel bad about how much I back-tracked over the weekend that the cycle starts all over again the following week. I started off my weight loss and fitness journey with the knowledge that it's okay to have anything in moderation and that it's good for your mind to have a little of your favorite not so healthy things a couple times per week or even every day if you plan accordingly but, somewhere along the way, I lost that knowledge and got totally consumed with perfection! I've known that the last 10 lbs and overall tone I've been working on was going to be tough so I started to forget what works for me and what doesn't. I need a little serving of chips or ice cream through the week or I will go crazy during the weekend...simple as that.

So, this past weekend I started over. I had my normal healthy meals and I also had a little candy and a little ice cream. I did not gobble everything in sight and for the first Monday in awhile I don't feel like I have to kill myself undoing the weekend from hell! Lol It's a small step in the right direction and I'm proud of that step. I'm sure there will be many more wrenches thrown in my path but that's just life. I can let these things make excuses for me and be reasons why I 'can't' or I can decide to take control and keep moving forward even when things get tough. My life, my goals, and my successes are all mine to make! :-D

To be or not to be.....a beachbody coach!!

Should I become a coach?! That's what many of you may be asking yourself on this final day of the free sign up deal with Beachbody. My opinion of course is yes you should, but I know it's not that easy! So what are the benefits of becoming a coach? Well, you get 25% off of all beachbody products so if, for example, you are already ordering Shakeology every month this is an automatic money saver for you. There's no sense in spending $120 per month if you could be paying $90 a month, right?! Yes, there is a $14.95 monthly fee to keep your business up and running but it still beats paying full price. A savings is a savings in my book! :-D Now if this is the absolute only reason that you would even consider becoming a coach, that is completely fine! You don't have to work the business side or do anything else with it if you just want to enjoy the discount. My mom signed up as a coach for just that reason!

Now if you do want to take it further, read on! The business benefits are numerous! 25% commissions on all sales, team bonuses that start accumulating once you've built a team of just two active coaches underneath you as well as beachbody giving you more customers, tax benefits, and a ton of promotions and prizes to anyone who is ready to run with this! Don't think you've got to learn it all on your own either. If you join me, I, as well as our entire team -- Team Lightning Strike will all help you achieve the goals you have set for yourself. Beachbody also invests much of their time to make sure you are up to speed on everything you need to know to succeed with weekly calls and trainings that you can listen in on as well as several live events that you can attend all over the country! Often times, many of the trainers are there as well! How awesome would it be to be personally whipped into shape by Tony Horton, Shaun T or Chalene Johnson!?!

Finally, here's the best benefit of all -- YES, better than making money! When you become a coach, it makes your commitment level to your own health and fitness shoot through the roof! You are surrounded by a ton of people who are on the same mission you are on and it makes you want to take control of your goals and that just naturally spreads out to helping others do the same! There is nothing better in my day than getting a little message from someone telling me that I inspired them to keep going! This is what's it all about and why I love being a coach!!

So should you become a coach?? YES!! Here's one final note in case you are still uncertain. With the free sign up still going today, you have 30 days to see what being a coach is all about before your first $14.95 fee charges. If, in these next 30 days, you decide it's not for you, cancel your account and you're out without paying a single cent. If after 2 months or 2 years, you decide you want to leave, you can do that too with no questions asked, but I think once you become a coach and join the team, you'll love it too much to leave! Are you ready to take a leap; take a chance; do something that could greatly improve your life physically, financially, or both? Well, what are you waiting for?!? Let's go!

Why I did the Shakeology cleanse and why you should (or shouldn't) too!

As I finished my final serving of Shakeology for the 3 day cleanse last night, I started thinking about my reasons for doing it. Sure, the obvious answer is to lose weight (I lost 6.2 lbs by the way) but what more do you really get out of it? I came to the conclusion that a big part of it is about teaching yourself discipline and learning or re-learning to make healthy choices. Aside from being a little low on calories, this cleanse is about as nutrient dense and healthful as you can get. You're eating tons of fruit, veggies, and lean protein and with Shakeology you are getting a truckload of vitamins, minerals, and all that other good stuff -- the way you should be eating on a normal basis anyway! The discipline part comes in every time you are tempted to give in and take a bite of your child's lunch or stop by the candy jar for just 'one piece'. You think, "one bite won't hurt, right?" Maybe, but when it comes to that final day after the cleanse, do you want to be asking yourself if the results could have been just a little bit more? Could you have done just a little bit better? This is what kept me strong and I did not eat a single morsel outside of the what I had planned for the cleanse. Do you know how much thought it takes not to lick the peanut butter off of your finger while you are making your daughter's sandwich?!? It's not until you really set a goal like that, that you realize all the little extras you have in a day with a nibble here and a lick there. That stuff adds up! So, aside from the weight loss and cleansing my body of all the toxins and junk food, this cleanse has given my the tools I need to refocus on my goals! It has helped me to remember to pay attention to what goes in my mouth and it has made me crave real food again. Not candy and greasy fries and processed garbage; REAL FOOD! I can't tell you how much I enjoyed my oatmeal (the one in the canister, not the little packets full of artificial nonsense) sweetened naturally with strawberries and bananas and my scrambled eggs with a hint of black pepper! It was ridiculously delicious! :-D

The conclusion in all of this...? If you are ready to make a fresh start and really reach for your goals, do the cleanse! It will give you a great boost and a clean slate and you'll be set up on a path for success! If you're just looking for a quick fix to drop a few pounds only to go right back to the eating tons of junk food, skipping meals, or any other crazy things you may have been doing beforehand, forget it! I mean, go for it if you want, but I think it would be a bit of a waste. The true secret to losing weight and keeping it off is not from crazy diets or 'magic pills,' it's about making changes to your every day life; changes that will last and that you can live with for the rest of your life! Everyone is capable of this, just put in a little effort and do it!!

Ready for a fresh start!

Ahh, finally the last of the 'pig out' holidays are behind us...well except New Year's Eve but that one shouldn't be too bad. Truth be told, I didn't really do so bad on Christmas Day. I had my Shakeology, I did my Insanity, and with the exception of the key lime cheesecake and a few cookies and snack items, I made good choices and didn't overdo it. Then came yesterday....I started off with a veggie omelet and a tangerine but it was all downhill from there. I somehow got on a mission to eat any and all leftovers from Christmas -- the cookies, the cheesecake, the cheese and crackers, the chips and dip, the lasagna...um yeah, it was not pretty. Worst of all I didn't workout and I even missed my Shakeology! I woke up this morning at 5 a.m. feeling really ill. :( The good news in all of this -- there's nothing bad left to eat today! Hehe
Seriously though, I'm not worried about what I did yesterday. Sure, it was bad but it was one day! This one day is not going to cause the 80 lbs I lost to magically tack back onto me! I'm learning to break that all or nothing mentality I've had for the last few months because I'm tired of feeling guilty every time I eat something I know is not good for me. No one can eat perfectly all the time! What fun would that be? I'm not saying we should all go out and order everything off the McDonald's value menu but once in a while it is OKAY to have a cookie or a piece of cake or both... ;-D I know I will never let the one bad day turn into a week or a month or a year. I am always able to get right back to the healthy choices and exercise because I enjoy it and want to do it! It's not a chore to me, it's a lifestyle. This is what works for me. I have goals and plans and I will keep working toward them! You will never see me throw in the towel...I'm too stubborn for that! ;-D
So, it's on to my plans for 2011! I'm ready to start out strong with a Shakeology cleanse and a new program - TurboFire!! I've surrounded myself with a ton of accountability partners who are doing the cleanse and TurboFire with me so I will not fail! I'm going to reach my goal weight and I am going to get rid of the rest of the goo on my belly and see that six-pack once and for all! I'm going to take my beachbody business to the next level! I've got my eye on becoming diamond and I'm not taking no for an answer!! These are my goals and I'm not letting anything stop me! I didn't pick the name 'determinedlady' for nothing! :-D

Some people just have all the luck...or do they?

Why is it some people have all the 'luck' and success with losing weight and some people 'try' over and over and never seem to get anywhere? I was pondering this last night while trying to get to sleep at 1 a.m.! I used to be in the latter category. I would cut calories and force myself on the elliptical a few times a week and yes, I would typically lose about 10-15 lbs but it would never stick! I always reasoned that I was just one of those people who wasn't meant to be thin; my metabolism was slow; I don't know how to exercise; I liked food too much...blah blah blah, excuse after excuse! So what changed? Why after all the failed attempts did I finally succeed this time? Obviously there are multiple factors but the key to all of it was my attitude! In the past I always went into trying to lose weight thinking it wouldn't work or that I would never get past my 'wall' of  185-190 lbs. I was setting myself up for failure before I even started! Why? I think it's a defense mechanism we all put into play - expecting the worst so we'll be less disappointed when our fears are confirmed. This time I decided that I wasn't going to think that way. I went into it thinking "I will" instead of "I can't." Once I had made this decision, I realized I couldn't go into it blindly just hoping it would work. I knew I had to take the time to learn and do things right!

So what are the biggest factors in weight loss aside from having the right attitude? Well, duh! Exercise and diet! Everyone knows that but if it were really that easy, 2/3 of America wouldn't be overweight or obese now would they? Here's one thing I've noticed in a lot of people - they think of exercise as torture! Now I'm not saying exercise is the most fun thing in the world but you should enjoy it when you do it! It  should make you feel ALIVE! All your endorphins start flowing and you feel like you could take on the world! All of these feelings are what keep you coming back for more, kind of like an addiction. If this does not sound like how you feel about exercise then you should ask yourself these two things - is my exercise exciting and is it challenging? If you are dragging yourself onto the elliptical or treadmill everyday or you do the same 20 sit-ups and push-ups everyday, you are going to get bored and you're not going to feel challenged. This was my first 'A-ha' moment when I was figuring out why my previous attempts never worked. The first few days, I looked forward to getting on the elliptical or treadmill but as the days progressed I started to dread it more and more. It was BORING! Not to mention, my body was getting used to the movements making the exercise less and less effective. This led to my plateau; my 'wall,' and is where I would give up.

So now I know, I've got to change it up! Okay great, but what do I do? I don't know about you but I have trouble just randomly coming up with exercises to do or figuring out how to maximize my time on individual muscle groups. I knew I needed some guidance - basically to be told what to do and when to do it! Lol I started Jillian Michaels online program for just that reason. She broke it down by exercise, day by day, and I didn't have to think -- just get up and do it! Every day was different and I looked forward to seeing what was in store each day. It was great and I loved it but after about a year, I was starting to get a little bored. I had to change it up, find a new challenge and get excited about fitness again -- but what should I do? Flipping through the channels one day, I saw the P90X informercial. I had my usual skeptical feelings about it - most of the 'miracle' exercise things advertised are nonsense! The thing about P90X, though, was that they weren't advertising some crazy gadget. Instead it was about hard work getting you great results. Based on what I had just done with Jillian the last year, I knew this was legit and the idea of working with a live video rather than pictures on a computer screen was definitely more appealing. I was all set to get it until an Insanity infomercial came on right after that! After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I thought "now that looks like a challenge!" P90X would have to wait because Insanity was MINE!! I did Insanity and loved it but after awhile I, again, wanted something new. I went on to P90X for a new challenge and will be going onto TurboFire for the same reason. To summarize my entire crazy story, you have to keep your exercise interesting. Find something that challenges you and go for it! When it starts to get old, do something different! It's kind of like everything else in life -- you wouldn't read the same book over and over or eat the same meal night after night. Your body and mind crave something new and different, so change it up!

The other factor I mentioned is diet. I could write an entire book about this! Fortunately, other people have already done this! In fact, I just read through a great book that basically took all the things I've learned over the last year or two and put it all in one place! Go figure! The book is called The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged by Tosca Reno. If you are serious about getting your eating under control and understanding how different foods affect your weight loss, get this book! Here's a couple of the basic principles -- you have to eat to lose weight and you have to pick foods that are going to fuel your body. When I was cutting calories so many times in the past, I would skip meals and eat a lot of empty calories that didn't keep me full. I had the mentality that skipping meals would save me calories, not realizing that I was instead lowering my metabolism and making the calorie cutting pointless. I also fell victim to all the 'low calorie' snacks that had little nutritional value and always left me hungrier than when I started. When I changed over to eating meals every few hours and picking foods that were nutrient dense (i.e. fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats) I felt satisfied, energized, and the weight was flying off! This was my second 'A-ha' moment!

Now I know, there are no secrets to this weight loss thing. It's not that some people are 'lucky' and others aren't. It's just a matter of educating yourself and doing the work. All of those excuses that I used to have about not being meant to be thin, having a slow metabolism, not knowing how to exercise, not being able to resist food...that was just me not wanting to really try because it was easier that way. When has taking the easy way ever really led to anything great? With that in mind, I challenge you to start challenging yourself and take the time to learn!! I assure you it will be worth it -- it definitely has been for me! :-D

Will stress make you or break you?

STRESS! I've had my fair share of it lately and it's definitely taken me for a ride. After months of trying everything we could to prevent it, our house is going into foreclosure. Me being the worrier that I am, I am left to wonder what will happen now? I've never not paid a bill. I've never been in trouble. If you know anything about me, then you know I am very much a 'goody two shoes.' I keep quiet and I follow the rules to avoid confrontation at all costs. This situation is waaaay out of my comfort zone. So now I ask myself, how will I deal with this stress? How will I let it affect me?

I know I am not the only one with stresses in my life. How many of you have something that plagues you? Something that you have no control over that you just have to ride out? Does it define everything else in your life? Do you put everything else on hold because of this issue or do you focus on the things you can control? Here's what I know I can always control - myself! I value myself and the body I've been given. I want to make the most of my time here. I want to be healthy and strong and fit. I could let this stress overtake me. It would be sooo easy to sit on the couch and sulk and eat myself into oblivion. That's what the old me would have done with this stress. Instead, I make the choice every day to get off my butt and exercise. I make the choice to pick the foods that will fuel my body rather than destroy it. Is it always easy? Absolutely not! I slip up just like everyone else but I don't let that be the end. I get right back on the wagon and start again and again. Quitting and giving up is not, and never will be, an option! I've put too much work and too much research into this. I've learned, and felt, all the benefits of exercise and healthy clean eating to just give it all up now. I want the best! I want the best workout programs I can get and I want the best nutrition I can get! For me that means programs like Insanity, P90X, and Turbo Fire. It means I will find a way, come hell or high water, to afford Shakeology every single month! So many people say it's too expensive, how can you afford it? I say, how can you NOT afford it? What value do you place on your health? Are you really not willing to take 30 days out of your life to try something that could greatly improve your health and the health of your family? What's the worst that will happen? You won't like it or you won't get what you want out of it and you'll get your money back? That doesn't sound bad to me. What's the best that will happen? You'll be healthier, lose weight, maybe even get off that cholesterol or blood pressure medication that you've been stuck taking? You'll tell your mom, your dad, your cousin, your next door neighbor and they'll get the benefits too? That would be cool.

Long story short, I'm done with being reactive about everything in my life - my health is one area in my life where I can be proactive and as a Beachbody coach, my finances is the next area where I will be proactive! I challenge everyone to do the same -- be proactive! DO NOT let the stresses of life control you and make excuses for you! You have the power to make your life what you want it to be! Whatever it is in your life that you are letting hold you back, STOP! Take control, take action! Decide, commit, succeed! That is all!