Find Your Tribe

Talk about a fun and exciting weekend away! So for those of you not following me on FACEBOOK or INSTAGRAM, I had the amazing opportunity to go to Miami for the weekend with 17 other fabulous ladies in our Pure Synergy Team. 16 of us qualified for the Synergy Diamond Retreat to be spoiled rotten by our amazing leaders Julie and Tatiana. That means out of 1700+ coaches, we were the the top 16 coaches by the end of 2015. All through first working on our selves with betting our health and fitness, then by sharing our stories and experiences with others who decided they wanted to do the same.

(Tatiana & Julie)

I arrived Friday afternoon. We stayed in a gorgeous house in Miami Beach with plenty of room and beds for all of us! We spent the afternoon talking and getting to know each other. That night we all joined in the living room and shared our story about what got us to where we are now. And it was quite an amazing experience because each of the stories all had a common theme. We never quite felt like we fit in growing up. Outsiders in a way. Struggling to find our way. We all went through some of the same trough stuff too growing up. But in the end. We found a healthy way to work on ourselves. To learn how to fit in healthy eating and an active fitness routine. Which led us to where we were.

During the night we heard some devastating news about a fellow coach who would have been there with us but she had just had her baby.  Her baby was born with a heart condition and had surgery that day, but sadly the procedure they had to do to help fix his heart wasn't able to work and the baby passed away. It was the most emotional thing, all 18 of us sobbing together. We wanted to just give our friend a hug and hold on to her tightly. But what we learned that night is how much of a community we are together. That this "coaching thing" is not just about us, or those we help, but we are here together. We have a community of support and love and friendships to lean on and what a beautiful blessing that is. I am no longer feeling alone. I have a community of people who have my back and it is an amazing feeling.

Saturday we gathered together for some training to better ourselves and in turn to help better the people that we work with. It was amazing hearing from our leaders and getting their help and advice. After training we all got ready to go to the BEACH. So you all know me, I BURN SO EASILY! I was terrified to go to the beach and honestly I thought that I would go for a bit then go back to the house. But I didn't need to. We got chairs, beds and umbrellas and I got the full shade package basically. I had quite the little shady retreat! I did go out in the water and sun for a bit and still got a little burn, but not as bad as I had in the past. Just a little color!

After the beach we all went back to the house to get ready for our PHOTO SHOOT! Wow, how awesome is that. Then went back down to the beach area and had an amazing time getting amazing pictures taken.

After the photo shoot we went back and decided to go out and get some dinner. I went to my first all vegan restaurant and enjoyed it. Apparently it is on the 25 MUST eat at vegan restaurants before you die list. I definitely got all my veggies in for the day, plus about 2 extra cups. I ate a lot of veggies! We didn't get home from dinner until 1am (it was a full dining experience) Some of the gals went out to go to local clubs and some of us went home. I was exhausted. Well past my bedtime.

Yesterday morning I had to pack and say my goodbyes because it was time to go before I knew it. What an amazing inspiring and motivating weekend. Not only do I believe in more in what I am doing, because I see how helping others has helped so many, but I love the ladies I met and am so excited to see them again! I still can't believe that I got to go on this amazing trip. When I first started coaching I thought only special and lucky people got to go on these trips. But all it takes is for you to believe in yourself. If you believe it can happen, it will. But you just have to work for it and do it!

I'd love for you to have this kind of love and support. Come join my team and become a part of our family. We are ready to welcome you with open arms, EMAIL ME today or COMMENT BELOW!!!

(To make Beachbody happy) 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.

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! 

9 Tips To Transitioning Your Family To Clean Eating

Often times it is us mom's who want to change our diet. What is that old saying, when mom is on a diet, we all are! So true. But here is the thing. I remember always fussing and complaining about the change of foods growing up. So here are my 9 tips to help transition your family into eating a more healthy clean diet. 

1) Start slow if you need to. Rather than trying to make a big change all at once or eliminating all their favorite foods, start by adding in the healthy stuff. Before you know it, some of the unhealthy choices are being crowded out. 

2) Make changes to the meals you already enjoy. Clean eating doesn’t mean you can never eat things your kids love like pizza and spaghetti.  Just make healthy swaps. Whole grain pita for the crust, low sugar pizza sauce (or make your own) and loads of veggies.  My kids love spaghetti, so I use whole wheat or brown rice noodles and sauce without added sugar.  Is it completely clean? No, but remember the 80/20 rule. 

3) Encourage your kids to add a fruit or vegetable to every meal. I find if I let them pick something out at the grocery store, they are excited about eating it.  

4) Meal prep on the weekend for the upcoming week. I try to cook a large batch of chicken breasts for the upcoming week in the crockpot, then shred and freeze it.  I am going to start pre-cook lean hamburger and ground turkey. We love Mexican food, so I often cook salsa chicken or baked chicken fajitas so we have meat ready to add to tacos, burritos, salads, etc. I make oatmeal and a large baked omelet so there are healthy breakfast options available to reheat. 

  

5) Add extra veggies to everything. Casseroles are easy to sneak them in, but you can also add them to most sauces, smoothies, meatloaf, etc. 

  

6) To save money, buy things in bulk. Also, since meat is expensive, I often replace half the meat in a recipe with quinoa. It’s still high protein and makes your grocery budget stretch further.  

7) Don’t fall into the trap of making one meal for your family and a separate clean meal for you. I often add something to the meal that I know my family will like even if it’s something I may not eat.  

  

8) Educate yourself and your family as you make these changes so you know WHY you’re doing it. Help them see it’s not just “another new diet,” but a lifelong plan to keep them strong and healthy.  

9) Most important of all. Don’t stress. You’ll get the hang of it, and soon you’ll be surprised how much your family loves it.

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! 

6 Tips To Eat Clean While Eating Out

Here are my tips to eating clean while eating out! It can be so hard,and so tempting to just eat what you want, why not! You are eating out, and we only do that every now and then. So when you are going out, here are my 6 tips to keep me on point for the day! 

1) Find local restaurants that have healthier options. Farm to table restaurants are amazing!

2) It is ok to ask what is used to prepare a meal or what ingredients are used

3) Look online to view menu options and nutritional information and plan ahead

4) Pay attention to portions. Don’t be afraid to eat half of your meal and take the rest home for lunch

5) Ask for healthier options. Most restaurants will be happy to cater to your needs

6) Eat a salad before your main meal, but be cautious of unhealthy dressings. Oil and vinegar dressings are usually a safe bet.

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free daily advice, support, motivation, encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! Are you following my INSTAGRAM yet? Check out my stories and feed to see how I fit a healthy lifestyle into my busy mom life!

Clean Eating Does Not Have To Be Expensive!

The biggest complaint I have about someone starting to eat clean or organic is: But Isn’t It Expensive?

Eating real whole foods does not have to be expensive! You buy what you can eat and not more. And you make the intention that you ARE going to eat what you buy. I can easily get a haul of fresh fruit and veggies at a really low cost. Shop at smaller stores, like Trader Joe’s. Or go to Costco and freeze what you don't eat in the week. I often hear the excuse that eating healthy is expensive. I do keep some thing at the house to always have and to munch on or use for meals (such as beans $.80/can — chicken breast ~$2/lb — brown rice ~$3/bag — quinoa ~$3/bag — frozen veggies and fruit ~$2/bag) and this stuff normally lasts a while.

Here are a few tips to help keep the cost lower when making that change to buying organic or "clean foods":

• Keep it super simple
• Make a plan
• Buy ingredients that can be used multiple times
• Stock up on staples
• Make your own dressings
• Season and prepare your own food
• Stick to the outer perimeter of the store
• Freeze portions to prevent waste. Freeze fruit and veggies too!
• Try new things
• Drink water…it costs way less than sugary beverages
•  Decide where you will spend the extra money on organic foods. Organic milk, grass fed meats, organic eggs, or organic produce.
• Not everything has to be organic, but generally for produce, if it has a soft exterior it should be organic.

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! 

Always Read The Ingredients List

I attended a couple of discussions this past weekend about health and wellness. One thing is very clear. DO NOT GET ALL CAUGHT UP WITH THE FRONT OF BOXES AND SUCH! One of the most overwhelming things out there is going to the store and looking at foods that say, "Whole grains!" "LOW FAT!" "HEALTHY" These are all marketing strategies used to get you to buy what might look healthy on the front. Which is exactly why cereal companies and "health foods" spend so much on on marketing. 

I get it. Eating healthy, or organic foods is more expensive. But here is one thing you can do in the grocery store on a tight budget to ensure that you are getting the best food for you and your family! 

Read The Ingredients, not just the nutrition facts but the INGREDIENTS! 

The ingredients are the most important thing you need to know about your food. Big companies spend MILLION of dollars to advertise their products to you, and there is a lot of false advertising going on! Skip to the labels, calories and nutrition facts and go straight there. No of that matters if you are putting harmful materials into your body. 

Here are my two biggest tips: 

If you don’t recognize it or can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it!

Try to stick to food that is in its whole state (ex. fruit/vegetables) or food that has just a few ingredients. Make sure they are ingredients you recognize.

Which one would you choose? 

Avoid anything that is labeled low-fat, fat-free, or diet!

When the fat is taken out of food it becomes “bland” so most fat free, low fat or reduced fat foods are filled with processed fillers, chemicals, or artificial flavors to replace it. These can be harmful to the body.

Take the time to read the ingredients. The more you do it the more familiar you will get with it and it will become easier. Boxed foods are the biggest culprit so make sure to look closely and carefully! 

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! 

Why You Are Worth It To Work Out

Working out and exercising is HARD! It is hard to find time in our busy everyday lives. And most of the time it involves waking up earlier than you really want to. Or maybe missing watching the newest episode of Once Upon A Time. It is hard! But really, it is worth it. You know it is and that is why when a workout is missed we often regret it.

But honestly, your workout, a 30 minute workout is only 2% of your day. Just 2% of your day! That's it. Then why is it so hard to get it into our lives.

First let's ask why is fitness every single day so important? Anyone who is successful in life is doing a daily workout. Why? Exercising before work gives you a boost of energy for the day and that deserved sense of accomplishment. (forbes.com) It helps to wake your body up. Gets your mind firing faster. And get it going. Even just doing 15 minutes of exercise in the morning will get you set on the right path for the day.

So today to get you stronger from the inside out, look at your daily schedule and see where you can carve out some time to exercise for 30 minutes a day. 30 minutes is ideal to get into that aerobic fat burning state! I want you to schedule the workout in to your calendar just like you would a doctor appointment. It really is that important. Make alarms for it too! Do whatever you have to do to get your workout in!

Need help on what to do for a morning exercise. You can start with the monthly workout challenge! PLANKING! YEA! Who doesn't like a good plank? Check it out here!

Better yet, want to be part of a LIVE group with one on one AND group support? Join my 7 days to a Stronger You. It begins MONDAY! Yep Monday! We are focusing on strengthening our mind and our bodies! Click here to register and you will get a FREE digital copy of my Clean eating guide, and special access into my group with daily motivation and support. Register. Join us! I am so excited to work with you and help 2016 be YOUR YEAR to get your results! PLUS this month my 7 day Meal Plan, AND a special workbook to go along with the training. HOLY CROW that is a ton of stuff! But you know what? I want you to succeed. I want you to get your results. I know what it is like to feel frustrated to start over again. But here is the thing. I am giving you the tools that I am using to lose weight. I have lost 20 pounds now. And I am losing more every month. I am getting fit and healthy because private support groups just like this. So please.

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! 

January Book Club

It's the first Wednesday of the month and you know what that brings...MONTHLY BOOK CLUB! YEA! I am so excited for these books. The first book is a positive uplifting book and the second book is written by the first announced guest speaker at the Beachbody huge coach annual convention this year. I have heard great things about Gary and the book so I wanted to give it a try this month! It is for helping to build your tribe or following on social media! Which book are you going to read this month? Comment below! 

Book 1: 

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale: The Power Of Positive Thinking

In this phenomenal bestseller, “written with the sole objective of helping the reader achieve a happy, satisfying, and worthwhile life,” Dr. Peale demonstrates the power of faith in action. With the practical techniques outlined in this book, you can energize your life—and give yourself the initiative needed to carry out your ambitions and hopes. You’ll learn how to:

· Believe in yourself and in everything you do
· Build new power and determination
· Develop the power to reach your goals
· Break the worry habit and achieve a relaxed life
· Improve your personal and professional relationships
· Assume control over your circumstances
· Be kind to yourself

Book 2: 

Gary Vaynerchuk: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook is a blueprint to social media marketing strategies that really works. 

When managers and marketers outline their social media strategies, they plan for the “right hook”—their next sale or campaign that’s going to knock out the competition. Even companies committed to jabbing—patiently engaging with customers to build the relationships crucial to successful social media campaigns—want to land the punch that will take down their opponent or their customer’s resistance in one blow. Right hooks convert traffic to sales and easily show results. Except when they don’t.

Thanks to massive change and proliferation in social media platforms, the winning combination of jabs and right hooks is different now. Vaynerchuk shows that while communication is still key, context matters more than ever. It’s not just about developing high-quality content, but developing high-quality content perfectly adapted to specific social media platforms and mobile devices—content tailor-made for Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Tumblr.

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! 

5 Ways To Stick With Your Resolutions

Here we are 5 days into the new year! How is your resolution going so far? Are you working every single day to make you one step, (big or small) closer to your goal? You got this! Keep going. They are important to you or else you wouldn't have decided to make these changes in your life! And if "Losing Weight" made it on your list, it is the TOP resolution for the New Year! Followed closely by " exercise more" and "improve overall health" Maristpoll

Here are 5 ways to help you stick with those resolutions!

Set Real and obtainable goals: 

Be realistic in your goals. Start with smaller goals that are obtainable rather than larger daunting goals. Like, lose 10 pounds by March. instead of lose 100 pounds by March. It isn't going to happen safely or without medical intervention. You have to be realistic with yourself or else you are just setting yourself up to fail. And no one wants to do that. Another great goal to think about is to slowly increase how many days you are exercising. If on average you exercised 2 days a week, like clock work, bump it up to 3-4 for a challenge. But automatically jumping to 7 days a week might be too much of a leap and can lead to getting burned out pretty quickly. Be realistic in your goals.

Find the time. Or if you have to Make the time: 

If it is important to you, you will make the time for it or find the time in your day that you can fit it in. Make it fit into your schedule and if you have to wake up a little earlier in the morning to get the time you need into your life. You might have to sacrifice browsing Facebook or Instagram but what is going to make you feel better. Looking at people or being that person you want to become!

Share Your Journey:

One of the best things, and scariest things I have ever done, is starting to share my story with all of you. It scared the living daylights out of me for fear of judgement or ridicule. But you know what. I want to help people realize that they can change their lives too. That is what matters. And honestly it took me 17 months as a coach to share my actual weight on social media. I shared my before and after pictures but never, ever put a number to it, until last month and I came out with it. I am currently 235 pounds guys. And you know what is so funny. Now that it is out of the bag, I can't stop mentioning it. I feel like I am providing so many women out there who think they are too heavy or too out of shape or what not an opportunity to show them that NO THEY ARE NOT! We all start somewhere. Share your store. Inspire others. We have a real epidemic on our hands. Obesity. And it requires all of us to work hard to fight it. Be that example to your friends! Post your pictures. Share your story. Share your ups and downs. You never know who you will inspire.

Upgrade Your Eating Habits: 
It is so hard to cut something cold turkey. And often after a few days of no chocolate, chocolate ends up in the house and before you know it. It is GONE! (please tell me I am not the only one that this happens to!) Make small healthy, lasting changes to your diet. ask for veggies or a salad instead of fries. Drink water only with your dinner. Eat only one slice of toast in the morning, then slowly transition to eating oatmeal in the morning. Add more veggies to a smoothie. Or even just make a meatless meal once a week focusing on eating more greens in your diet! Try something new. You never know you might like it, and how it makes you feel!

Make It Exciting:
When you do go to exercise, make it fun and exciting! Start a new workout program. Doing the same old boring stuff means you can get bored sooner and more likely to stop. Try a new workout that challenges you. Hammer and Chisel, 21 Day Fix Extreme, a Cycle class, hot yoga! There are so many things out there to up the anti in your workouts! And make it fun! Also make an end goal for what you are doing to. Like sign up for a specific race that looks awesome, or be able to do 10 military style pushups. Challenge yourself but make it fun and exciting.

Sticking with your goals is only part of the battle. Go back and check out about SMART goals and making sure that each and every one of your goals matches all the categories in the acronym. Your goals are worth it. They matter! You matter! Stick with these and you will stick with your goals!

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! 

Happy January 4!

Today is the day that thousands will be flocking to the gym or starting a new workout routine at home. Are you one of them? Check out my tips for success this week!

This was the mess I dealt with in my basement before my workout this morning. I think I will take it over the first 2 weeks of craziness at the gym, personally!

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! 

Easy Meal Prep Containers

Meal prep, food prep, is the #1 way you are going to succeed with a healthy lifestyle. Why? Because when something is already done and ready to go you are going to grab for it. Easy. Imagine this:

Around 5pm start thinking about what to have for dinner. You have 2 kids asking when dinner is going to be ready. You have cleaned as much of the house as you can and then the kids just made a disaster zone of your house since their school work is done and they are HUNGRY! Go to the fridge and look in there and find:

Scenario #1:

Chicken still partially frozen that you put from the freezer to the fridge this morning and it will take more time to defrost.

Scenario #2:

Pre-packaged meals that are already done and ready to go just need to be heated up and that will take less than 5 minutes!

Scenario #3:

Nothing really in there is calling to you so it is an instant Pizza night or fast food because it is too late to start making something now!

I have been there with all 3 of these scenarios. At 6 I am beyond that point in my day of trying to think of things to do to make dinner. (I say 6 because 3 days a week I teach until 6pm.) And often for those days, if I don't have anything all ready to eat before 6 then it is a boxed Mac n Cheese, or a pizza night for us. Which neither of those things are good for us.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. 

Sunday nights I make my rice in my rice cooker. Season it with fajita seasoning to give it some kick and a yummy taste. And I also just cook up some chicken on the stove. I am going to try this week to make a kind of stir fry with broccoli. Cook the chicken and then add some broccoli florets in the pan near the very end. And I just got these awesome Meal Prep Containers on Amazon to help me sort them out for each day. Dishwasher safe and microwave safe too, however, for personal reasons I don't really use my microwave.

I am going back into my stricter eating habits for the next 8 weeks. This is one of my resolutions. Challenge myself to eat a super clean, healthy lifestyle for 8 weeks, and honestly see what it does for me and my body. So for me, these containers will be perfect. Mine and my husband's meals will be done and ready each day of the week. Just heat it up and go!

Here is what I am planning for my week!

Meal 1 (Breakfast): Egg scramble with onion and bell peppers. Apple 1 slice of GF bread – 1.5 red, 1 green, 1 purple, 1 yellow

Meal 2 (Snack): Quinoa Berry Parfait – 1 purple, 1 red, 1 yellow,

Meal 3 (Lunch): Chocolate Shakeology with almond milk, peanut butter, 1 banana, 1 kale shot. – 1 red, 1 purple, 2 green, 1 tsp

Meal 4 (Snack M/W/F/Su): 3 tsp. peanut butter and an apple, cucumber – 1 purple, 3 tsp 1 green.

Meal 4 (Snack T/Th/Sa): carrots and bell peppers with hummus- 1 green, 1 blue, 1 orange

Meal 5 (Dinner M/W/F/Su): Chili Spiced Chicken Salad. zucchini sautéed with ground cumin and 1 tsp. olive oil, salad of black beans, quinoa, cilantro, tomatoes, cotija cheese, lime juice, and 1 tsp. olive oil – 1.5 red, 2 green, 2 yellow, 1 blue, 2 tsp 1 orange.

Meal 5 (Dinner: T/Th/Sa): Baked chicken breast, fajita seasoned brown rice, broccoli roasted with 1 tsp. olive oil, bell peppers and onions sautéed in 1 tsp. olive oil – 1.5 red, 2 green, 2 yellow, 2 tsp. 

Meal 6 (Snack M/W/F/Su): Cottage Cheese – 1 red

Meal 6 (Snack T/Th/Sa): Greek Yogurt with blueberries – 1 red, 1 purple.

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! 

Workout Quotes and Mantras

Starting a new workout routine is hard. And the beginning of the year a lot of us go diving into a new fitness adventure. It is going to be hard. It is going to be uncomfortable. It is going to push you and you are going to have moments that you are going to want to say, "SCREW THIS! I'm DONE!" But what gets you through a workout?

WILLPOWER! 

Sometimes during the workout your mind will say, "STOP! I don't want to do this!" That is the moment that if you push past that thought, those feelings where true development happens. Pushing past our quitting moment will define you and give you the best post workout feeling knowing that you stuck with it and you did it! So here are a few workout quotes or mantras to say to yourself when the tough gets hard and you are at that moment where you are about to give up.

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey!