Emerald Coach

So this happened today! Super excited not only because I hit my first milestone as a coach with Beachbody but because of all the amazing women that I have helped and are currently helping to set their goals and ACHIEVE THEM! I feel like I have been called to help inspire, encourage and motivate women to get out of their comfort zone, make that choice that they are worth it and to help them with the next step of their lives by taking care of them! What a wonderful blessing it is in my life! Thank you to all my friends who have helped support me and followed my journey. I so look forward to the rest of my journey that has no end at this point! Thank you everyone! 

What is a Team Beachbody Emerald Coach? An emerald coach is the first advancement as a coach in Beachbody. It means that you are building your team of awesome coaches and the beginning of becoming a leader. If you have any questions about it or about coaching please let me know! This was my first business goal when I became a BeachBody coach 10 months ago. My ultimate goal is to help women and men to set their fitness and health goals and learn to achieve them. I am doing that on a daily basis now and it is amazing! 

My coach wrote this about me and I feel so blessed. Sometimes I don't see myself in this way. What a wonderful reminder to keep on being that light and beacon! 

--- I am so excited to congratulate Becky Allen on becoming an Emerald Coach today! Becky has been inspiring and helping others through her blog Connect The Dots Ginger while being an amazing mother, spouse, teacher, and pursuing her passion to run, be healthy, and eat clean. She's been inspiring others while using PiYo, 21 Day Fix, and Shakeology to support keeping herself and her family healthy. Becky has the amazing ability to take adversity and turn it into a positive force. I know this is just the beginning for her on her journey to help others be happy and healthy! Congratulations!!!

Till We Meet Again

Tonight I said a physical goodbye to a very, very good friend of mine! She is moving to UT for the military and such is a military life. Where friends come and go. But let me tell you about this wonderful lady. She changed my life. She is the one I met at my very first race ever! I was petrified. I didn't know what the heck to do. Or what to expect. All I knew is that I was going to walk it and that I needed to go to the back of the pack and be with the walkers. Honestly I was looking around for all the people my size because I figured they would be the slower ones. (sorry but true)

I happened to stand in the vicinity of lots of strollers. I had left Mason with a friend to meet me at the finish line so I was child free. But I was just kind of observing the people around me. I kind of listened in on the conversation in front of me and heard one of the ladies mention military. It was a race honoring the 4 The Wounded Warrior Project but she knew military stuff. So I pipped up and said HI! The lady not holding the stroller introduced herself to me and I told her it was my very first race and how scared I was. She mentioned that her friend had left her jogging stroller at home and they had to walk it and invited me to walk it with them.

Janet and I at the 4th of July 5k

We began talking and I learned that she was an officer with the Air Force and a SMART one at that! I told her about my miscarriage a few weeks prior and how I wanted to get back into running. She then talked up the Woman's 4 miler training program. And when I mean talk, she talked about it a lot! And insisted on me doing it and that it would be awesome and exactly what I needed. And the whole 3.1 miles that is what she talked about. By the end of the race I told her that I would look into it and would probably do it. She said that she would see me there on the first day. And we have been friends since. I did see her there and she always made a point to remember me, and talk to me. We ran the same race the next month and was cheering me at the finish line. She cheered for me at the finish line of the 4 miler. And I asked her to be one of my safety runners when I did my first 10k at 10 weeks pregnant. She has been here for me whenever I needed her. We have become great friends over the last 2 years. She also got me into coaching for Beachbody and I am so thankful she did because I am making a difference in other people's lives like she did for me. She changed my life. I am so sad to see her go but it happens. I am so thankful for Facebook and other modern conveniences we have to allow me to never lose touch with her because she truly is an amazing person.

Me, Jen and Janet, my safety runners to make sure I was ok for my first 10k at 10 weeks pregnant.

Moral of the story: You never know who might become your next greatest friend. When you go somewhere, to an event, church, reading time at the library, even the grocery store. Just say hi to someone. Introduce yourself to someone. Make an effort to get to know someone and listen to what they have to say. Be interested. It might be scary but sometimes you can walk away with a great friend who you will always remember and always want to keep in touch with. God places people in our lives for a reason. Don't deny yourself that next great friend.

Janet, I love you, and will miss getting to hang out with you this summer in training and for fun movie nights like last night! Can't wait till we can hang out again! Safe travels and Thank You for all of your service for our country. You are amazing!

Bye, Bye Gym

Well after much thought, discussions and prayer, yes, even prayer. We have decided to cancel my gym membership. Matt and I agreed that if I weren't going to the gym enough to justify the cost of it that we would cancel it. And folks, we have reached that point. It is hard with 2 kids to get to the gym. When one gets sick. I can't go. The the other gets sick. Still can't go. Than child #1 gets sick again and it is a constant battle. And I just can't justify spending the amount we were (and it wasn't cheap) only going to the gym 1 or twice a week. NO WAY!

So snip...there it goes. Thankfully I have been doing really well with my home workouts at night. Only skipping one night in the last week. AMAZING for me. And I am feeling so much better adding in strength training. It is making a huge difference.

So I said prayer earlier. I try not to get too preachy on here but I wanted to talk about the "response" I felt. So I started praying about canceling my membership. And I said something like, "I have 4 miler training coming up soon and I will need to run. I need to try and figure out a schedule with Matt on when I can run. Please help us be able to figure that out." And honest to goodness the answer I felt and felt many times was, "you can always go running at 5am when he is getting ready for work." So now I am like. "Okay, looks like if I want to go running 2 days a week in the morning I better wake my butt up at 5am and go running." And you all know I am not a morning person but it is going to have to be done and a way has been made for me to be able to get it done. So there you have it. Me getting a spiritual 2x4 to get my butt in gear and wake up early to do a little exercise.

So now it is...no gym, workout at home either with my 21 day fix or PiYo and running outside, hopefully 3 days a week, and when we save up enough money I will be getting a treadmill.

Happy 1st Birthday Collin Baby!

Here we are. 1 year old. My baby is 1 year old. So scary how fast this year has gone and how blessed we have been with this amazing year. Collin was our surprise baby. The one where I decided that it didn't matter if I sat on my butt or kept running. I had no control over if I miscarried or not. (I had 2 previous miscarriages just before him, and he stuck!) I still worried that what I was doing would make me miscarry but I put my faith in the Lord that if he was meant to be with our family he would be with our family. AND HE IS!

Collin is THE most laid back baby ever. He doesn't really fuss, doesn't really cry, doesn't really get mad. If he gets hurt he stops crying very quickly thanks to his 2 fingers that calm him down, and mommy of course. He is just a super observant baby and loves to watch his big brother do anything.

Collin loves to follow brother around too. Wherever brother goes, Collin is sure to follow because he doesn't want to miss out on any cool things. Or if dad is home Collin is always hanging out with daddy. Such a daddy's boy.

He is our little runt of the litter. He is still in 9 month old sized clothing. He is a little short but he will hit a growth spurt and get taller. He is also the healthiest eater in the house. His favorite meal of the day is breakfast that he inhales, actually he inhales everything he eats, all 2 cups worth of it! HE IS A BIG EATER. But check out what he loves for breakfast everyday: 1-2 eggs soft over easy cooked, 1 banana mashed, 2 teaspoons flaxseed, 1/4-1/2 cup oatmeal all mixed together. He loves it and is so sad when it is all gone. Healthy eater! He has his yearly check up on Wednesday so I will post his stats after to show he is growing and how much!

Here is a photo purge of some of the pictures I took at his Birthday Party this past Saturday!

~I made the comic book cover banner and we will be hanging it in the boy's room!~

 ~Sugar Coma~

Sizzlin' Summer Is HERE!

I don't know about where you live, but here in central VA, it is getting hot outside! To me, mid May is the beginning of summer. Being an Arizona girl born and raised mid May is when it is just plain hot out and it will only get hotter. Well now in VA this is when the humidity starts to sky rocket and doesn't let up until October. Yeah we get our nice day here and there of low humidity but for the most part it is going to be SIZZLIN' OUTSIDE!

So let's talk about this summer time. Summer time the dreaded time of year where it is swimsuit season. Time to hit up the pools, beaches and splash parks in our case to beat the heat. This year I want to feel comfortable in my own skin. I don't want to look back in my pictures and hate what I see. I am starting NOW to work on that and I wanted to invite you to join me in my next private accountability group that will begin JUNE 1st.

Something amazing happened this weekend. We had Collin's 1st birthday party and I for the life of me couldn't eat the cake. AT ALL. It tasted bland and just not satisfying. I mean it was good cake. Everyone said so and the place I got it from I have always enjoyed their products but it just didn't taste right to me. If you would have told me last July, when I joined my first challenge group, that sweets, junk food and fast food would not taste right to me, I wouldn't have believed you. I have made changes to my life that have helped me come this far. To not want to eat any of that stuff. Yeah, with the pregnancy I fell off the wagon. But I am human. We all make choices that we aren't happy with. That will not happen again! I assure you! I drink Shakeology now everyday and I know that this is what has helped me kick the sweets and to me, a person who is addicted to sweet, this drink is PRICELESS!

I promise you that I am changing my life. Making choices daily to better myself for me and my family. I have found through working out that I am happier. I have more energy and I want to do it more and more as each day passes. And I want to help you gain more energy, be happier and want to exercise. I want you to be comfortable in your own skin. Make goals and ACHIEVE them. And I know you can because you can do anything you put your mind to!

So Join me this JUNE for our challenge group to help you get started! Fill out the form below to let me know you are interested!

You will get:

One on one support from me to help you set and reach your goals.

Daily motivation.

Work with a program that is just right for you to fit your lifestyle.

Provide you with recipes and a meal guide

Daily dose of nutrition.

Plus you will be with other people just like you in our PRIVATE accountability group where you can ask questions and get real answers.

Our Motto for June is: It's not about being skinny. It's about gaining confidence, better health, more energy and HAPPINESS!

(Please do not apply if you are currently a Beachbody Coach, are already working with a Beachbody coach or are not willing to make a small investment in your health and wellness.)