Embracing Change....

Who likes change? Like REALLY likes change?

I'll wait.....

 I'm not talking about changing what brand dish soap you use or going from one-ply to two-ply (although that's definitely a change I recommend if you're not there yet). I'm talking about big changes. Changes that put us outside of our normal day to day routine. Changes that can challenge our character and sometimes bring out a side of us we didn't know existed.....

I think I might see one or two hands out there.

The fact is that MOST of us don't like change! We like our routine. It's comfortable. It puts us in a position to know what to expect and we like that. Going outside of our normal day to day can be scary. Especially if the change is huge! But what is it about change that makes us anxious or afraid? It's the fact that we are no longer in control! We like controlling what happens in our lives! Because for the most part we can control what happens in our lives. But what happens when the opportunity to make a change comes along and it's an opportunity for a GOOD change? Will we be more inclined to go with it, or will we still run from it in fear of the unknown?

I'll tell you, I don't like change! Big change anyway! I'm cool with changing up the Chinese restaurant that we typically frequent and I'm also cool with trying out a new shade of eye shadow. Those are FUN changes!

How bout moving clear across the world right after you get married? Or moving every few years and having to change jobs and make new friends and find a new church family? SCARY! Sometimes God has a funny way of putting us in positions to build our characters. So He brought a man into my life 10 years ago who was an active duty soldier in the U.S. Air Force. In the last 8 years I've moved from Idaho, to England, back to Idaho for a few months, and now to Florida. I've had 5 different jobs in that 8 years where before that I'd been at the same job for 6 years! I've fallen in love with new friends and I've said goodbye to more friends than I like to think about. Sure, I keep in contact with them virtually, but I can't hug them and laugh with them in person. I've learned how to drive on the left-hand side of the road and learned that the "boot" of a car is actually the "trunk". And now I've learned what true humidity is. I've become a vegetarian. I've gone from gym rat to at-home workout queen. So many changes!!!!! Some of them forced, some of them chosen.

So how do you learn to embrace change when you hate change? You do this by accepting the fact that some change makes you BETTER! Some change is a way for you to grow and to develop into the person you're meant to be. Some change will put you in a position to be a blessing to someone else that you might eventually come into contact with.

Want to start working out but you're scared to do it because you've grown accustomed to your inactive lifestyle and you're afraid of what people will think and how you will make it happen Do it anyway! This is a good change! Want to start eating healthier but don't know where to start? Instead of cowering away from the opportunity, embrace it..... start googling recipes, searching pinterest, talking to people around you who you know eat healthy.....just start doing it! Don't procrastinate the change because you'll forever find an excuse to not do it! Some changes are forced upon us and we can't do anything about that. Some changes are put in our path and we can choose them. Both kinds of changes can be exciting if we look at them in the right light. Think of change as a way to experience a new part of life that you have experienced before! Pray about it! Be patient through the process! Trust that you will get through this moment of discomfort and this CHANGE will one day just become part of your routine! I no longer think about my daily routine I had in Idaho, or in England. I think about my daily routine I have here, in Florida. This change wasn't easy and I didn't want to do it, but it was out of my control. So I embraced it, was patient with it, found things daily that excited me about the change, and now I LOVE Florida. I never want to leave.

Yes, change is scary! But if we never go through seasons of change then we'll never grow! So embrace the change that you're facing right now. Even if you haven't acted on it yet. If it's a good change and it will benefit you, I challenge you to grab it by the horns and make it yours. Own it! Pretty soon that change will become part of your day to day routine and you'll be stronger and more capable of taking on the next challenge of change that will come your way!

Quick Fixes and Crash Diets vs. Hard Work and Dedication

According to the Boston Medical Center An estimated 45 million Americans diet each year and spend $33 billion annually on weight loss products. Yet, nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. Wow! That's quite the statistic! If we're spending so much on dieting solutions, why are we still overweight? It makes no sense if you really think about it?

As a Beachbody Coach, one of the biggest reason I hear from people that I talk to as to why they don't get started on a program is that they can't afford it. While this may actually be true some of the time, I am confident that it is not the case the MAJORITY of the time. Maybe that's a pretty bold statement....but I believe it to be true. Look at the statistic above: $33 BILLION ANNUALLY. So it's not that we don't have the money to spend, it's that we're spending the money on solutions that don't work long term.

How many of us have taken a pill, done a crash diet, completely cut out whole food groups, or done excessive cardio in order to lose weight? (You don't have to raise your hand) The truth is that MOST of us have. In our society it's this constant struggle to lose weight, right? So then why do we keep going through this cycle of quick fixes and it doesn't actually last?

IT'S BECAUSE THE QUICK FIXES AREN'T FIXING THE ROOT PROBLEM AND GETTING YOURSELF BACK IN SHAPE TAKES HARD WORK!

There! That's it! I said it! I said what has needed to be said and shouted from the rooftops for years! We are going through this cycle over and over and over again because we're never learning what causes it in the first place. We don't know how to eat the right foods to get the right nutrition and we don't know how to work hard and get a little bit uncomfortable. I blame it on nothing more than our society. We've been conditioned to resist anything that takes a little bit of hard work on our part. We have drive through, we have meals delivered, we even have mint strips that dissolve on our tongues so that we don't have to CHEW gum to get fresh breath anymore. I mean, c'mon! We don't want to work hard for anything more. 

The reality is, guys, that it will take hard work to lose weight, get fit, and learn better eating habits. It's going to take your commitment, it's going to take your dedication, it's going to take a little bit of a financial investment a lot of the time, and more than anything it's going to take TIME! You did not gain 50 pounds overnight, did you? You didn't even gain it in a week or a month or a year. It took several years to get where you are right now. Especially if you're in a situation where you've ALWAYS struggled with your weight. I understand that you're unhappy. I understand that you want results like yesterday. I understand that you're tired of feeling sluggish and unhappy. I get it! I've been there. But let me tell you something.... Some of these solutions that we resort to are not only ineffective, but they're DANGEROUS!

Diet pills, crash dieting, and excessive cardio to the point of exhaustion are all dangerous practices! Stop doing them. They don't work. Because what is going to happen is that you are going to risk your health to see quick results. You're going to get the quick results. But you've still learned nothing about what got you there in the first place. You still don't know how to eat properly and you still don't know anything about being more active. Don't believe me? Look at the typical cycle of anyone who falls into these traps. The truth is that we're dropping BIG money as a society on things that just don't have long term success. So after we've lost all of our desires weight and we come off of our "diet" we go right back to the old habits. We've learned nothing and we haven't grown at all.

So what is my solution? My solution is hard work! My solution is the good old fashioned solution of more movement and the right food. Notice that I didn't say LESS food. I said the RIGHT food! We are nutritionally STARVING in America! Eating less isn't the solution. We need calories. We have to have them to function. We don't need to be scared of calories. But we need to get the right calories. We need to have carbs, we need to have protein, we need to have fat, and we need to have vegetables and fruits. What we need to have LESS of is the wrong foods, not food itself. We need less sugar. We need less processed meals. We need less food where everything good about it is missing. So not less food, just less junk!

And we need to move more! I am someone who works at a desk. For 40 hours per week I am confined to that desk like it's my prison. Did you know that even though I have a super intense workout in the morning, I am undoing so much of the benefits by sitting for the majority of the day? That's why I have to be intentional about movement at my job. And we all need to be intentional about movement at our jobs if we work behind a desk. Get up and walk around a bit every 60 minutes. Go get a drink of water. Make a lap around the office. Instead of emailing your coworker, walk over and tell them whatever it is you need to tell them. It's not just about our 30-60 minute workouts. Those are important and we need to develop good workout habits, but it's about just moving more in general. Spending less time in front of the TV and more time taking a walk around the block with our families. Instead of just coming home and sitting on the couch, we need to stand up more at home.

What what do we need less of? Junk, quick fixes, and lackadaisical effort! What do we need more of? Commitment, dedication, good nutrition, and movement! Can you imagine thinking about what you're doing as a lifestyle change and not just a diet? What would happen? You would realize that you are developing new habits and not just doing something part time to go right back into your old habit tomorrow. That is why quick fixes don't work. Because they don't teach you anything. They give you the easy way out when what it actually takes is the time, dedication, and commitment that we talked about earlier!

What I absolutely love about Beachbody is that there is a beautiful combination of all of these elements. We have the fitness covered through the amazing workouts we offer with top professional (think P90X, Insanity, 21 Day Fix) and we pair that with good nutrition, think Shakeology. (Read more about Shakeology and the nutrition it provides you HERE.) And now we even have programs like the 21 Day Fix that teaches you how to eat the correct portions of the correct food groups. And on top of that we offer support and accountability through the coach support network and our Challenge Groups! That's why I became a Beachbody Coach. Because we truly offer the entire package to effectively help people not only start but MAINTAIN healthy lifestyles!

Beachbody On Demand: New Feature!

Who loves Beachbody on Demand? ME ME ME!!!!

Why do I love it? Because it's a super convenient way for me to not only workout wherever I can get an Internet connection, but also because it allows me to try out workout programs that I haven't purchased! One day on my lunch break I even streamed Insanity Max 30 10 Minute Abs from my "Purchased Programs" suite so that I could get some movement in from my otherwise desk-surfer day job! If I want to go to the park and stream I can. If I'm traveling and don't want to lug my DVDS around, I can stream! It's the best!

But the one thing that I would've changed when I want to use it at home is to not have to connect my laptop to the TV. To me it's just an extra step I don't want to go through. Lol. I think it's mainly because I really, really, REALLY despise having cords all over the place. (Little known pet peeve fact about me! Lol. Now you know)

So today I am SUPER excited to announce that Beachbody in Demand can now be streamed through several different TV services!

Roku players and Roku TV Models

1. Start by searching for Beachbody on Demand in the Roku Channel Store. Add the channel and press OK on the remote to install the channel.
2. You'll next see a screen pop up with a URL and an activation code. Enter the URL into the Internet Browser on your computer, tablet, or phone and login to your Beachbody on Demand account. You will then be prompted to enter an activation code. Then press the submit button. The page should then alert you that the device has been activated.
3. Once the activation is done, the Beachbody On Demand Channel will automatically launch on your Roku player or Ruku TV.
4. To choose a workout, select the workout and then press OK on your remote.

    Beachbody on Demand is supported on current generation Roku players, Roku Streaming Stick
    and Roku TV models.

Amazon Fire TV

1. Start by searching for Beacbody on Demand in the channel store. Once you've selected it, go ahead and install it.
2. Go to your app library and launch the Beachbody app.
3. You'll next see a screen pop up with a URL and activation code. Enter the URL into the Internet browser on your computer, phone, or tablet and login to your Beachbody on Demand account. YOu will then be prompted to enter the activation code. Do this and then select "activate".
4. Go back to your Amazon Fire TV device. The Beachbody on Demand app should automatically launch.
5. To choose a workout, select the workout program you wish to do by using the OK button.

      Beachbody on Demand is supported on Amazon Fire TV and Amazon Fire TV Stick

Google Chromecast

1. Install the Chrome browser on your laptop.
2. Open Chrome and install the Google Cast extension.
3. Connect your laptop to the same Wi-Fi network as your Chromecast
4. Login to Beachbody on Demand on your laptop and select a workout.
5. Once you're ready to begin a workout, click the "cast" icon that appears in the upper right-hand corner of your browser and watch the workout go from your laptop to the big screen.

In our house we own the Roku box already and it's always connected to the TV; so this makes me so happy! You don't need to do anything extra other than be a club level member, which gives you access to the On Demand Service.

Apple TV

Notes:

• Once the app is live you will need to download the App and sign in through a provided URL and activation code. Once this step is completed, you will be logged into your account and you can start using Beachbody On Demand through your Apple TV.
• It is possible to sign up through Apple TV – it should be noted, sign-ups through this channel will be part of Apple's database and we will not be able to connect these customers and any volume or commissions associated with this sign-up to your Coach account.  Please note: there is a different pricing model via the Apple sign-up. Coaches can still offer their customers the best price by enrolling through Teambeachbody.com and BeachbodyOnDemand.com. Also, Coaches and customers who sign up through Apple TV will NOT have access to Purchased Programs; however, these users will be able to access our complete backlog of Member Library programs including INSANITY, P90X3, TurboFire, etc. 

A FEW MORE THINGS TO NOTE:

• As an Apple user, our BOD app can ONLY be accessed through the new Apple TV, 4th generation. Any previous versions of Apple TV or any other Apple Devices cannot access our App unless it is streamed to a TV using Apple AirPlay. 
• ALL customers using Beachbody On Demand through the new Apple TV will NOT have access to sneak peeks and trainer Q&As.

CLICK HERE to read all about what the On Demand Service provides for you!

I'm LOVING all the innovation that Beachbody is coming out with this year. All to make it easier for us to stay healthy and active!

New Product Alert: Shakeology Boosts!

SHAKEOLOGY BOOSTS!!

So what are these boosts exactly and why would you need to add then to the already ridiculously healthy formula of Shakeology? I asked myself the same question. I mean, I've taken loads of time studying the ingredients of Shakeology and it doesn't seem like it could get any better. So let me break down each one for you and give you a little more detail

CLICK TO WATCH:

Let Tony Horton explain it to you....

FOCUSED ENERGY:

If you're looking for an effective pick-me-up without compromising your health, then this boost is for you. Unlike traditional energy drinks that rely on chemicals, sugar, and large doses of caffeine to create energy spikes, Focused Energy Boost is packed with ginseng and 100 mg of natural caffeine from Guarana and Green Tea, plus adaptogens like Reishi and Rhodiola. So now you can feel more energized and alive without the artificial ingredients.

Click HERE to order Focused Energy!

DIGESTIVE HEALTH:

Did you know the average American gets less than half the Daily Recommended amount of fiber? Now you can get over half of your daily recommended amount of fiber when you add this boost to Chocolate Shakeology.† Digestive Health Boost supplies your body with a potent blend (7 grams) of both soluble AND insoluble fiber, setting this formula apart from typical fiber supplements that only contain soluble fiber.

Click HERE to order Digestive Health!

POWER GREENS:

Who would need power greens? Power Greens Boost is for those who don't like to eat veggies, or for those days when one simply can't get enough veggies. What if you're traveling or in a situation where you can't just grab a salad like you usually would? This would be the perfect addition to your Shakeology that morning to make sure that you're still getting all of the nutrients from those greens that you won't be able to easily get in. Or if you're a really picky eater or have kids who are really picky eaters but who don't mind the flavor of Shakeology (I mean, who doesn't like chocolate?) this would be perfect!! Plus, this boost helps support the body's acid/alkaline balance. It doesn't matter how much or how little greens you currently eat, your body can always benefit from more.

Click HERE to order Power Greens



Some of my favorite features of these boosts: vegan/vegetarian friendly, no  artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, or preservatives, can be added to any liquid (not just Shakeology), two of these products do not contain caffeine and the focused energy has a small amount of caffeine (100 mg/serving).

So how much are they?

Focused Energy Boost: $49.95
Power Greens Boost: $34.95
Digestive Health Boost: $44.95

**These prices are based on normal retail customer prices. Talk to me about the option to become either a Club Member or a Discount Coach to receive these and other products at a reduced cost**