Cize....The End of Exercise!

Raise your hand if you hate working out!

Now, I know I'm one of those weird people who actually enjoy working out. I do! I truly love getting  a good workout. Whether it be a run, popping in an Insanity DVD, or lifting some weights; I just love working out. But I KNOW that not everyone is like me. There are MANY people who DREAD working out.

So what is a person to do when they want to lose weight but they can't bear the thought of running on the hamster wheel or following a workout DVD from their living room? Is there any hope for these people?

Let me introduce you to CIZE!!!

Promotion Video for CIZE

So what do you think?? You think you could have fun with a program that is working you out but it doesn't feel like it? Well, it is soon on its way! Most people don't know this, but before Shaun T was "the insanity guy" he was actually a professional dancer and even danced backup for J-Lo! Dancing is actually his first passion and he is excited to share this program with everyone to show them that getting in shape doesn't always have to be done through an avenue that you personally just don't find that exciting! Dance your way FIT!!

Click to see the video of me BREAKING IT DOWN!

So is this program for?

• People who love to dance!
• People who want to learn to dance!
• People who don't think they can dance!
• Your grandma!
• Point is: IT'S FOR ANYONE AND EVERYONE!

Click HERE to order and join one of my upcoming challenge groups!

WHAT IS SHAKEOLOGY

My Journey to Beachbody

It dawned on me this week that I never really have taken the time to blog about my decision to join up with Team Beachbody.

I've struggled with my weight pretty much my entire life. I remember when I first started gaining I was a preteen. And that's where the battle began. During the past 20 years I've been extremely heavy, I've gone through a bought with anorexia, and I've fluctuated up and down.

In late 2010/early 2011 I encountered what I hope will be my final battle with major weight-loss. I lost 40 pounds by finally pairing focused eating with my already regimented workout. I hit that weight-loss goal on January 19th, 2011 and I've been able to successfully maintain that weight loss since then.

It's funny because even during my heaviest moments I've been a gym rat. It wasn't until I dialed in my nutrition that I was able to be successful in losing weight. It really is true that it's 20% working out and 80% diet. It's so true.

Shortly before we left England to come back to America, I had the opportunity to get involved with the base's Crossfit program that they were doing. Although already someone who LOVED working out, Crossfit gave me a renewed love and appreciation for fitness. I fell completely in love with it. Then we left England and I had to leave behind my beloved Crossfit group. But the love had been kindled and I haven't looked back since! Health and fitness has truly turned into my passion.

For years I've been encouraging and coaching people in my life through the internet as well as in person. I've had friends who I trained at the gym, friends who I have written at-home workout programs for, and friends who I just guide through their battle to eat right. I have no official nutrition or personal training certifications, but I have just learned a lot through my own research and experience that I have been able to guide people around me to get through the same challenges that I went through.

Fast forward to November 2014. I decided to give this Beachbody company a try. I was already familiar with Beachbody's fitness programs like Insanity, P90X, and Turbofire; but I'd never actually completed an at-home workout program. It was more like they were the types of workouts I would pop in if I wasn't able to make it to the gym. I was a gym rat to the CORE! So when I decided to give Beachbody a whirl, I was actually nervous about giving up my gym schedule and transitioning into working out at home. I'm happy to report that I have to say I'm a believer! I love the convenience of being able to workout at home. And the programs are amazing. You have the best of the best trainers giving you their best programs that you can complete right from your own living room. You can't beat that.

It's funny because the major thing that almost prevented me from signing up with Beachbody was the fact that they had a shake that they promoted along with the workout programs. I'd had such bad experiences with other company's shakes in the past that I couldn't see myself being someone who would drink a shake every single day. Well, soon enough I realized that if I was going to seriously do this business then I needed to be a product of the product. So I ordered Shakeology. Let me just say that after the first few days I was amazed, and continue to be amazed, at how my body felt. But as I've learned more and more about this amazing product, it's clear that there really isn't a more nutritious meal replacement shake on the market. So much more than a protein shake, this is a full meal replacement that truly has unmatched nutrition.  So I have to say that I am sooo happy that I gave Shakeology a chance. I have talked about it through other posts that I've done, but Shakeology has truly changed my body. My hair and nails grow quickly and strong. My energy levels are up. And most important to me, is that fact that the symptoms of IBS that I'd suffered with for so long are completely gone. I haven't had a flare up since I started drinking Shakeology. It's done such amazing things for my digestive tract. To me that is life changing because there were days that that condition used to be debilitating for me.

To learn more about Shakeology and what it can do to benefit your body, check out this short video:

I have found in the few months that I have been involved with this company that I am able to help WAY more people than I ever would have been able to help just strictly being a person trainer, which is the direction that I was going for quite some time. I still plan on getting some certifications so that I can work with people locally; but this is definitely a more global way for me to help people. I have a true passion for fitness and especially health and it is my goal everyday to help someone reach their goal of feeling better and getting healthier. And the whole concept of a Challenge Group really is what makes the difference to people. You're not just popping in your DVD and trying to convince yourself that you're going to make it to the end of this program only to find yourself giving up after a few weeks. Let's be real....how many of us have at least 2 different Beachbody programs sitting on our DVD shelf that we've never completed from start to finish? The Challenge Group is the solution to that vicious cycle. You are placed in a private accountability group filled with other people who are committed to getting through their particular program. Everyone motivates each other, encourages each other during those moments when you just don't want to press play. Let me tell you something...if you're in a Challenge Group and you don't want to do your workout....all you have to do is post in that group and within seconds you will have someone responding encouraging you to press play and just get through it. That accountability and comoraderie is what really gets the job done and allows you to complete your program from start to finish and have incredible results, both outside AND inside!! I get so excited when I see my challengers being excited and engaged in their program and truly connecting to the process and allowing themselves to be vulnerable to the group and really work through those things that have been preventing them from truly committing for all those days, months, and years!

I am so thankful that this opportunity presented itself to me. Not only have I improved in my own physical health through my at-home programs and Shakeology, I have watched dozens of people come through these Challenge Groups, many I have personally coached, reach their goals and reclaim their life of health. I am truly dedicated to the people I coach and I take their success very personally......probably too personally sometimes. But I just can't help it. I want to help everyone! And I want to see everyone reach their goals. I personally vest a lot of my emotion and time into each person that I work with because it's important to me that they reach whatever goal they had in mind. These people have made a monetary investment into themselves by purchasing the challenge pack and it is my job to make sure that their money is not wasted.

Also through Beachbody, I have met incredible people who I am surrounded by everyday that I never would have had the opportunity of meeting before. I feel myself growing personally through my daily personal development and my interactions with these people and I am so thankful for that community of positive people! And to top it off....I'm actually getting paid to do something that I love so much! Getting paid for something that you are passionate about is like a dream. Am I making enough to quit my job yet? No. But that day is quickly coming. I am excited daily for the people that I will come into contact with who I will be able to help either physically through a fitness program or financially by presenting the Beachbody business opportunity to, or both! This company is awesome! These products are awesome! And I am so thankful that I stumbled across it.

If you are interested in learning about the business opportunity and how you can pair that along with your own personal journey to better health, I would love to work with you. I cannot explain the possibilities that are available through this company and I am excited for what the future holds. The ability to be my own boss and do what I am truly passionate about is something that overwhelms me. I started off making nothing, but still feeling satisfied because I loved what I was doing. Well, fast forward 9 months and now I am still loving what I'm doing, but I am slowly putting myself in a position to fire my job and be able to do this full time. This last month I was able to cover my car payment, all of my utilities, and half of my grocery bill. That blows my mind!

If you would like more information on becoming a coach click HERE and you can fill out my coach application to become a coach on my team! I would love to talk with you and help you start your journey to Beachbody coaching!

I pray that the Lord will continue to guide me on this path to helping people because I believe that this is truly what He has given me a calling and a gift to do. If I am able to help just ONE person feel healthier and happier, then I have accomplished my task!

The Day I was Insane Enough to Get Certified

I know everyone has been anxious to hear about the day of Insanity Certification! This week has been so crazy busy so I haven't been able to post about it until now. But I'm super excited to share my experience because it was honestly an AWESOME day!!

I was so nervous the night before my training day. Not nervous because I thought I was going to do bad, but nervous because I was so excited! I've been talking about getting certified in SOMETHING for longer than I can remember, and it was finally happening. Plus, I knew I was going to get to hang out with Alli Upham for the day and that girl honestly inspires me! In spite of the nerves though, I actually got a really got night's sleep.

I got up nice and early on Sunday morning because I knew I had to be out of the house by 7:15 to get there on time since it was all the way over in Orlando. I wanted to get there early so that I would have time to settle in. I had all my clothes and everything laid out the night before so that I could just get up, make my shake, and go! So that's what I did . As I was hopping in the car, THIS happened:

 Really?!

My beloved chocolate breakfast all over the ground and in the car. Probably a good 1/4 of my cup was gone. Anyone who drinks Shakeology understands that each drop is precious! Haha. All I could think was, REALLY....Is this how my day is going to go? Lol. But I quickly rescued the rest of my Shakeology and hopped in the car.

I made a pit stop at Wawa to grab some snack for the day and a cup of coffee! I turned on my tunes and the GPS and hit the road. I was way ahead of schedule, but it was better to be early than late! Plus, I wanted to have a minute to say hi to Alli.

When I pulled up in the parking lot I felt like I was going to pee my pants. I was a ball of excitement and nerves. I was ready though. There was nothing in me that felt like I wasn't capable of doing this and doing it effectively. I have been leading a group of people working out for over a year and I LOVED it....surely this would be just as amazing!

Excited to go inside!

The first beautiful face I saw walking in was Alli! :) Now, I had been following Alli on facebook and Instagram for quite some time. Her National Wakeup Call was the first Coach Call I'd ever heard after I became a Beachbody coach and I had fallen in love with her story and her spirit from that point forward. So I felt like I'd known her forever. And then when I met her again at Super Sunday in Orlando in April I loved her just as much. She meets SOOOOO many people, so I didn't expect for her to remember me from Super Sunday. But when she asked for my name and checked me in, she knew who I was cuz I always comment and like her stuff on social media. She ran around a gave me a hug! Haha! Yep, I was ready to hang out with this chick all day!

I was excited that we didn't spend too much time just chilling out before we started the workshop because it's always awkward when you don't know anyone. I'm not really an introvert or shy, but I do get quiet when i'm around people I don't know. Especially when they seem to know at least one other person. I was happy to see that it was a great mix of men and women at the training.

We started promptly at 9:00 and the first thing we did was open up our goodie bags and saw that we already had our first Insanity Live Music and Training DVD in our hands! Yay! So Alli walked us through everything it contained and we began learning a little bit about the program and the concept of HIIT. We had another trainer there, Katrina, who was helping Alli for the day. I recognized Katrina from Super Sunday back in April and I pretty much immediately fell in love with her personality as well. (Seriously....are there any mean people in Beachbody?? Haha. I love being surrounded by a group of people who are always so positive and motivating!)

 Studying the movements and taking notes...
 

Anyway, Katrina helped teach us some stuff about form and how to talk about Insanity when people ask you what it is. She was awesome and I learned a lot from her.

Next up: the workout! We were going to go through a whole Insanity workout (the one we'd be learning) so that we had a good feel for it. Which I thought was a great idea. Because even though I've done the at-home version of Insanity, I knew that doing it live would be a bit different. So we went through the entire 55-minute program and IT WAS AWESOME!! Killer.....but amazing!!

Me post-workout
 

We did a bit more work from our manuals and Alli put us in two different groups: a big group and a small group. We learned that we would practice our section of the workout with our big group, and then come together with our small group so that we could practice instructing the others. So there would basically be one person from each section of the workout in the small group. So we did some practicing working with our groups and then we broke for lunch.

By this time I'd gotten more comfortable around the people, so it was nice just sitting around chatting at lunch. I got to pick Katrina's brain a little bit and get some ideas of how she started teaching in Tampa and what I could do to start teaching as well. I was working during lunch as well. I had a coach who had just started a few days prior, so she obviously had lots of questions. We promised Alli that we wouldn't be on our phones during the day, so I had a lot of responding to do during lunch.

Once lunch was over it was time to start learning our sections and teaching our small groups. The way the workshop is set up is very effective. You do the entire program at the beginning, and then you go over the form and modifications in the block that you're assigned to. So once you come back to your small group, everyone should be an expert in their own block and can teach the other two. I found it to be an easy way to not only learn the block that you were dedicated to, but to effectively learn the other two as well.

One of the biggest things we learned was how to listen for the queues in the music. The way that the insanity live platform is set up is actually very instructor-friendly. Very easy to learn once you get down the sound effects and the 32-count rhythm. Being somewhat musical I was able to quickly pick upon the  32 count cycle and identify when changes were going to come. I've already found that this skill is definitely to my advantage.

The two rounds that I left the workshop with
 

We broke into our small groups and spent the rest of the afternoon practicing how to teach each other and listening to the music queues. This was honestly the best practice. Even though it was totally uncomfortable and embarrassing because we all were horrible, it was great practice!

We finished out the day by deciding whether or not to become a member of Pro Team. Once Alli explained the benefits it only made sense to me to do it. I'm a logical and financial savvy person, and if something just makes cost-effective sense then I'll do it! Worked out pretty well cuz I received Round 8 that day from Alli in addition to Round 12 that we actually got certified in AND the next round was sent out the next day and I had it within a week of being certified. So now I have 3 rounds in my possession to be able to each from. And I'll get a new round every 8 weeks! Pretty awesome!

Before we left we took silly group photos! Alli is seriously a riot; and even if you don't have that "out there crazy" kind of personality, she's going to bring it out of you. Lol.

Before I headed out for the day I stopped to get a picture with Alli. Honestly, if I can end up being half of the group fitness instructor that this lady is, I will be amazing. It is a very rare thing to see someone doing something that you can tell that they were TRULY made to do. I enjoyed the certification so much, not only because it fulfilled something off of my personal goal list, but because I got to learn it from an amazing, inspiring person who is super passionate about what she does.



 All in all, this was a totally awesome experience and I am so thankful to have gotten the opportunity to do it. I pray that this will help jumpstart my fitness career so that I can start doing what I truly love!

Sizzling Summer Beachbody Sale

I'm not a big one to just post a big gigantic sale that lists a bunch of items... Usually I share specific programs with you guys and talk about my Challenge groups. But Beachbody only does this twice per year: Black Friday and the middle of June. One of those times is NOW!!

Super exciting: some of the most popular programs available are on this list as well as other accessories and some apparel. Savings up to 85%!

Can I recommend taking a serious look at Les Mills Lump or Les Mills Combat?! If you've EVER considered either one of these programs, get them now cuz Les Mills and Beachbody are parting ways soon and these will be GONE FOREVER! You also have things like Insanity the Asylum, Brazilian Butt Lift, and 10-Minute Trainer. There is much, much more! But trust me, these won't stay around for long...so don't hesitate!

 

Click here to be directed to the full shopping site. Supplies will not last long! Some of this stuff is already sold out.

Now excuse me like I go buy Les Mills Pump. Gotta get my pump on!