WK 3: 21 Day Fix Complete!

Crushed it! Haha. Hey guys so I'm so happy to say I finished my first round of 21 Day Fix. Yay! This program is truly worth doing. Don't get my wrong I love P90X, Insanity, and PiYo, but this program has a uniqueness all on it's own and Autumn definitely knows how to motivate you to bring it every single day. The workouts are only 30 minutes, however the rounds are so intense. It's a good intense though, haha! It's not that super hard, high impact intensity, it's the cardio intervals along with the muscle burning, strength training, butt kicking workouts. Okay, okay, okay, I promise it's doable. I had no shame in modifying up until week 3. But even when I did modify I still had an amazing workout.

It's important to really focus on your nutrition and meal plan as well. Sure it's easy to follow each workout every day, but when it comes to your nutrition you really need to pay attention on your portion control and what you're putting into your body for fuel and recovery. I have to admit I could have done so much better with this department. There were days where I wasn't eating enough, and then there were days where I would go over my limit on protein or carbs, even my sugar intake. But what really kept me in check was my Shakeology. Seriously I notice that when I have my Shakeology right after my workout, I plan out my meals so much better.

And I'm not even kidding. This stuff has been such an impact on my weight loss with my post baby weight gain. It's significantly put a dent in my sugar and junk food cravings, has helped me with recovery, improving my digestive system, and giving me the energy I most definitely need when I work my midnight shift.

If you have ever had your doubts about Shakeology and are still on the fence about it, here are the 5 Shakeology Myths - Debunked by Beachbody Coach Seay Stanford:

#1 Misconception: Shakeology is a protein shake. Shakeology is a very nutrient-dense shake that can be used for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You'd have to eat a whole lot of fruits and vegetables to equal the nutrition in a single glass of Shakeology- and you probably couldn't do it for less than 170 calories.

#2 Misconception: Shakeology is about comparing carbs, proteins, and fats to other shakes. This is not at all what you should be comparing when you look at other shakes vs. Shakeology. Sure, other shakes have 0 grams of sugar. But how do you think those shakes achieve that? Hint, it's not natural. Yup, they are probably using ARTIFICIAL sweeteners to get to 0 grams of sugar. Even fruit has sugar in it. Shakeology has NO artificial sweeteners, NO artificial colors, NO soy, NO artificial stimulants, and NO artificial flavors. The main sweeteners is Stevia, which is plant-based.

#3 Misconception: Shakeology is just a bunch of extracts, with no whole-food ingredients. That's not true. Whenever it's possible and sustainable for the formula, the superfoods in Shakeology are preserved in their whole-food state to retain maximum nutrient value. It's a very difficult process to use whole, plant-based ingredients so that the formula retains as much nutritional value as possible.

#4 Misconception: Shakeology is expensive. Most people will agree that they would spend an average of $3 to $7 on a HEALTHY nutritious meal. Shakeology, at $4.33 per shake, comes in on the LOW END of average (you can make Shakeology into a breakfast or lunch that you'd be buying anyway). You get all of your vitamins and minerals, and whole-food nutrients all in one shake. When you buy a bulk bag of Shakeology, you are buying 30 of your shakes up-front. That means you'll spend less money at the grocery store.

#5 Misconception: Shakeology is only for weight loss. Anything will induce weight loss if it's low enough in calories. Just because you are drinking a shake, does not mean the fat will melt off. Shakeology is about HEALTH. When you put the RIGHT nutrients in your body that it needs to develop, heal, recover, repair, and thrive, you may ultimately have MORE energy, LESS cravings, and FEEL better therefore you eat less and become more active. With Shakeology, weight loss becomes a BY-PRODUCT of dense nutrition. When was the last time you dieted and cut calories only to feel tired, grouchy, and had a ton of cravings? That's only because you may have been nutrient deficient. Shakeology is about DENSE NUTRITION you can use it as your base and add clean calories to make it 30 calories or more. Not everyone needs to lose weight, but everyone needs to be healthier.

So that's my whole speel on Shakeology brought to you by Certified Holistic Health & Nutrition Coach Seay Stanford, who also has 10 years of pharmaceutical experience. Amazing stuff. So happy to share that with you guys.

Anyhow back to my results on the 21 Day Fix. So within 3 weeks I was able to lose a total of 8.25 inches all around: 2 in off my chest, 1/2 in off my arms, 1 1/2 in off my waist, 1 in off my hips, and 1 in off my thighs. So happy! It means I'm making progress, I'm staying consistent and my hard work is paying off. You know at first I was really disappointed and discouraged that I had only lost a total of 2 pounds from this program. But I really had to tell myself that it's not about the numbers on the scale. It's about how you feel, how you're fitting in your clothes, and how much progress you're making even if it's small. Plus, muscle weighs more than fat ;)

So what's next on my list you ask? Well, well...I'm glad you asked. FOCUS T25 with the man himself, Shaun T. Oh yea. I'm definitely kicking my cardio up into high gear because I need it. But I am anxious to get and start Les Mills Pump. Hehe. I absolutely love weight training, so when I get that I may just turn this into a hybrid. Stay tuned!

As always thank you for following me and letting me share my journey with you. I hope in some ways I am inspiring you and motivating you to get off your butt and making today count. Remember you are the only one holding yourself back from greatness. So go out there and hustle!

"Earn that Turkey" Fitness & Health Challenge Group

Can you believe that were rolling into November here soon? How exciting!? And for those of you who live in San Diego with me, it's finally starting to cool off for Fall. Wow San Diego! Finally. Haha. So in the awesome event of Thanksgiving, I wanted to start a challenge group "Earn that Turkey" on November 3rd, 2014 and teach you guys how to make smarter choices when it comes to over eating, over indulging, late night snacking, and kicking bad habits once in for all.

I mean what better time than now?! I know some of you probably think I'm crazy because it's the Holidays right? Tis the season to over indulge and stuff your tummy to the brim with that 12 pound turkey, plus stuffing, cranberry sauce, candied yams, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and corn, and gravy, and pumpkin pie, and pecan pie, with whipped cream. Oh my gosh am I making your mouth water yet? Haha. Then you say to yourself, "Eh, I'll wait until the New Year to change and make that resolution." That's 3 months away! 3 months! When you think about it, your gaining all that extra weight within that 90 day span that you could have prevented. You could have easily committed on kicking those bad habits, turning them into good ones and actually feel amazing come the New Year. And I bet you, when you start now and stick with it, your New Years resolution will change significantly and you will most likely stay on track and not quit 2 months later. It's all about making smart choices, and making those smart choices now.

I promise you will still enjoy the Holidays. Yes, the Holidays is all about the cooking and eating, but it's also about spending time with family, strengthening your faith, and relaxing. So why not prioritize your health and fitness also? It will keep you less stressed, keep your weight in check, make your progress, and maintain your stamina come the new year.

As your coach, I will teach you how to meal plan and prep, give you snack ideas, how to sneak in exercises during your busy holiday schedule, tips and tricks on how to eat clean when eating out, we will replace one meal a day with Shakeology, and post daily motivational/ interactive posts. 

So let's start off November right. Let me help you jump start new little healthy habits that will benefit you in the long run. Please fill out my application to be considered for my group.

"Do something today that your future self will thank you for."  

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End of Week 2 of 21 Day Fix

Holy cow those two weeks flew by and I have not been that sore for 14 consecutive days in a long time. But I was loving every single minute of it. There were some days that I had missed and had to make up by doing doubles the next day. Wowza! That's tough. I told myself never again but now that I'm in my last week, I'm thinking heck why not?! 21 days right?

I do have to admit it's been tough seeing myself not drop in weight. After the first week was done, I was really shooting for 5 pounds and ended up gaining 2. Ugh! How did that happen right? I quickly got discouraged but continued to fight the good fight and love what I do....hustle the workout. And I kept going regardless. So let's consider the factors here that we have no control over. I just gave birth to a child 3 months ago and my body is still trying to recover. It took 9 months for my body to transform to accomodate my beautiful son, so it's going to take just as long to go back to where I started pre-pregnancy. It's so hard to really truly accept this because I'm so determined to just chisel away at my fat and see results. But I know that it's going to take time. It's going to take time. Jules....it's going to take time! I just have to accept it and strive on. Stay on this path and just keep doing what I'm doing. Come next year this time, I will be looking back and telling myself, 'Great job! You didn't give up.' 

I know it's hard. Trust me. I'm a full time mommy and I'm a full time active duty working the grave yard shift. And that in itself messes up my body, my sleeping pattern, thus my clarity. But I make those sacrifices to be at home with my son. To be a good mom to him, and to be an amazing role model both physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In essence, he is my 'WHY' power. He is my main reason why I dream so big because I would want him to dream big and go hard for what he believes he is meant to be; that God intended for him to be on this earth. And oh boy! He is going to be great, he will be great. 

So! Now back to my 21 Day fix update. The two weeks of portion control, clean eating, and the awesome 30 minute workouts a day...here is what I have to show for it. I'm still at the weight I had started at, which is 169 pounds (grrr!). But that's okay. I was able to shed 1/2 inch off my chest, 1 inch from my waist, 1/2 inch off my hips, 3 inches from thighs, with a total of 4.5 inches lost all around. Yay! I can't complain about that. Now even though it may seem small, these small losses will gradually start to add up. Seriously, they will. It may not seem like a lot right now, but it's sure is better than no progress at all.  

This is my last week and this is a perfect picture to keep me driven in finishing strong. You have to remember why you started!!! So before making another unhealthy choice...remember how your clothes don't fit, your body feels sluggish, your skin doesn't glow, you don't have energy, you want to feel beautiful, you're regretting what you ate, you're wishing you worked out, you wanted to change. Know that you are worth it to commit yourself to be great, to be inspired, and to be healthy. And most importantly encourage others to do the same. 

Don't give up! Don't give in! I'm actually going to do another round of the Fix if you'd like to join me. Starting November 3rd I will be kick starting another challenge group called, "Earn that Turkey". Woo hoo!! We all know we stuff ourselves full to the brim with Thanksgiving food, baked goods, sweet, comforty goodness. But it's time to re-focus and re-group. Learn how to manage your portion control, how to prevent yourself from over eating and over indulging. Most importantly to keep your fitness in line and on track regardless if it's the Holiday Season. Don't get me wrong. The Holidays are my absolute favorite time of the year...CHRISTMAS! Forget about it!! Haha. But were here to make smart healthy choices because I truly believe in ending the trend to obesity one person at a time. So please, if you're serious about making a change and implementing a healthier lifestyle then come join my kick ass group! I'll help you with your goals. We can and we will do it together. Fill out my application to get started. Let's make it happen!!

"People who fail focus on what they will have to go through; people who succeed focus on what they will feel like at the end." -Anthony Robbins-

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Trick or Treat 7 Day Shakeology Kit Sale

Hello! I am so thrilled to announce my Trick or Treat Halloween sweet deal on my 7 Day Shakeology Kick Start Kit, which contains 3 Chocolate, 2 Strawberry, 1 Vanilla, and 1 Greenberry. I usually sell it for $35 but I decided to offer a Fall into Fitness deal for the Fall season. So it is on sale for a smoking, SpOOky deal for only $25. How about that?!! You gotta curb that sweet tooth craving for that Halloween candy. And this is the way to do it. But it's only until October 31st or until supplies last. So you have to hurry!

For those of you who aren't familiar with Shakeology or have heard of it and have tried to compare and contrast...well here is a quick run down.

Shakeology versus "Other Shakes"
#1: It's a whole food
#2: It contains no processed ingredients, chemicals, or artificial sugars
#3: I can tell when I'm not drinking it versus not
#4: It curbs my hunger
#5: It's my healthy sweet fix during the day
#6: It has helped me lose weight
#7: My skin, my hair, and nails are healthier because of it and I rarely get sick because I have a vitamin rich breakfast
#8: One scoop is like going to the salad bar 5 times and filling my plate with a variety of fruits and veggies
#9: It's my daily dose of dense nutrition
#10: It comes in Regular Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla, & Greenberry with Vegan options of Chocolate and Tropical Strawberry

Here are a couple of videos that I will share that will help you truly understand the value of Shakeology and how much you benefit when you consume it on a daily basis.

"What is Shakeology?"


Carl Daikeler "Why You Should Drink Shakeology" 


If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am always open and honest. But if you're ready to commit and ready to buy my 7 Day Shakeology Kick Starter Package then purchase it here:

Once I have received your order, I will then add you to my FREE 7 Day Clean Eating Group that will jump start on November 1, 2014. Awesome! Let's get you started to being a healthier you. Cheers! :)

His and Hers Protein Muffins

Aloha!

Alright so just wanted to share this lovely, yummy protein muffins that I decided to whip up today to add to my meal prepping. I wanted to make an easy quick on the go snack that would be plentiful during the day or even during the late hours when I'm at work. So, once I made my raspberry and blueberry protein muffins, of course I had to make my hubby his. He's all about chocolate and coffee, which I am too, don't get me wrong. But I also love my berries. So anyhow here are both recipes! Feel free to tweak anything to your liking. Happy clean eating you guys!

Protein Blueberry & Raspberry Muffins

Ingredients
1 1/4 c coconut flour (feel free to use oatmeal flour or almond flour)
3 egg whites
1/2 greek yogurt
1 cup apple butter sauce
2 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 medium banana, peeled and mashed
3 scoops of Vanilla Whey Protein Powder ( I personally use NLA for Her Vanilla Cupcake, yumo!)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon orange zest or lemon zest
1/2 c fresh organic blueberries or frozen blueberries
1/2 c fresh raspberries or frozen raspberries

Instructions
1. Preheat oven 350 degrees
2. Place liners in one muffin pan and lightly spray with organic baking spray.
3. In large bowl combine egg whites, yogurt, apple butter, honey, vanilla extract and mashed banana.
4. In a second bowl combine coconut flour, vanilla whey protein powder, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and orange/ lemon zest.
5. Combine flour mix and egg mix together until smooth.
6. Fill each tin 3/4 of the way full, spreading evenly.
7. Place about 6-8 blueberries on top of half of the muffins and about 3-4 raspberries on the second half of the muffins.
8. Bake for 20 minutes.
9. Store in refrigerator

Double Dark Chocolate Espresso Protein Muffins

Ingredients
1 1/4 c coconut flour (feel free to use oatmeal flour or almond flour)
3 egg whites
1/2 greek yogurt
1 cup apple butter sauce
2 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 medium banana, peeled and mashed
3 scoops of Chocolate Whey Protein Powder
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 c dark chocolate chips
6 dark chocolate covered espresso beans


Instructions
1. Preheat oven 350 degrees
2. Place liners in one muffin pan and lightly spray with organic baking spray.
3. In large bowl combine egg whites, yogurt, apple butter, honey, vanilla extract and mashed banana.
4. In a second bowl combine coconut flour, chocolate whey protein powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder.
5. Combine flour mix and egg mix together until smooth.
6. Fill each tin 1/2 of the way full, spreading evenly.
7. Place one espresso bean on top of each muffin slightly pressing it in.
8. Fill the rest of the muffin mixture 3/4 of the way slightly pressing it all together and place 4-5 dark chocolate chips on top of each one.
8. Bake for 20 minutes
9. Store in refrigerator

Voila! I hope you enjoy these as much as we do. 

21 Day Fix - Week 1

Okay so I started 21 Day Fix with my amazing group Monday, October 6th and let me tell you about this first week. Holy cow has it been kicking my butt. I honestly didn't think I would be this sore with the workouts. I mean they're only 30 minutes but WOWZA!!! Autumn really takes the time to make sure you get every single rep in and very little rest in between. I absolutely love it so far!


So, I love that everything is so simple. You do your workout and you follow the eating plan. Every container has it's own food group and you simply figure out how much you eat based on your caloric intake needs. So for instance, my calorie intake goal is 1,549 so between 1,500-1,799 is my caloric intake range. According to the calorie chart, this means I would need to consume 4 green, 3 purple, 4 red, 3 yellow, 1 blue, 1 orange, and 4 grey/ teaspoons.

So in this picture you can see which color correlates to the food group it belongs to. Pretty simple right? It's awesome! So you're practically learning about portion control. Which a lot of us lack in. When I first started measuring out my portions, I was seriously in shock with how much more I consume. Eek! Big no, no. So it all became crystal clear as to why I wasn't losing weight as much as I was anticipating. Hello my eating habits!! Haha. We have to remember the 80/20 rule. 80% is your eating habits and 20% is exercise. Well I'm sure we never realize it until we have these experiences. So I'm so happy that I'm finally nipping it in the butt. Okay so anyhow, over the last few days it's been really easy to get accustomed to my portions and which color is which. I love using the containers for when I leave for work. However, when I'm at home I just measure everything out and put it on my plate. Or what I have found super duper convenient is the snack baggies!! So if you are a meal prepper like me...here is an awesome tip! When you measure out your fruits, vegetables, nuts, or cheese then just pour them right into a snack bag. Then you can do multiple snack bags so that way you're not constantly doing it every day. Big time savor! 

 Alright, so this is another new beginning to another success story. And I'm so excited for you guys to follow me and join me on my exciting fitness adventures. I'm telling you it'll be so much more fun and invigorating once you join in on my challenge groups. Especially when you want your own success story and amazing transformation. You can do it!! Seriously if I can do it, so can you. So here are my Day 1 "before" pictures...

Excuse my 'no make up', you're getting me at my most natural-raw phase right now, haha. Any how. I think this is the most excited part about getting yourself on track with being healthier and being more fit. You get to take these 'before' photos and see how much you progress in a certain amount of time. You give yourself a deadline, set goals, and do you best to reach those goals. Once you're done you get to re-assess and see your transformation come to light! Isn't that so cool? So, no matter where you are in your life today, you always have the opportunity to start. Don't ever think that you don't have the ability to do it. Please don't limit yourself to your own success and your own greatness. You don't have to be an all around athlete to do this. You don't have to be a fit junkie or a nutritionist expert or an exercise guru. All you need is the dedication, the drive, to be committed, to be motivated, and to be inspired. Don't ever settle for less. You have to dream big, because you're worth it! To me you're worth it. Now tell yourself you're worth it and get your butt in gear and make it happen!

Alright so here's my proposal to you. You come join my next 21 Day Fix accountability and support group on October 20th called, "Fall into Fitness." When you purchase the challenge pack, I will personally giveaway an awesome Shakeology Shaker cup along with an Endurance & Energy Packet. Or I'll give you my "25 for 25" deal: so when you purchase the challenge pack and sign up as a discount coach/ preferred customer (which gives you 25% off, and if you're military your sign up fees and monthly dues are waived) then I will throw in a $25 gift card. Tis the season to pay it forward! It's not every day we give thanks and give a moment of gratitude. I know I owe a big thanks to my upline coach Melanie Mitro for taking the time to mentor me, even to this day, to get me where I want to be and to all my other coaches who I have become friends with who have given me endless, endless support through my entire pregnancy fit journey. I personally want to pay it forward by giving my time to you, to mentor you, to support you, to give you the motivation you need to get you started on your health and fitness journey. So what do you say? Come join my group. Fill out my application and let's make it happen this Fall season.

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3 month post pregnancy update & PiYo Complete!

Aloha! And Happy Monday everyone. I am so thrilled to announce that I finished PiYo. Woo woo! Let me tell you Chalene kicked my but from start to finish. Seriously, it's that intense. However, I did see progress and it did get easier. Day 1 I had no clue what I was in for and had no idea how much you can tweak your muscles with pilates and yoga combined. Wowza! Chalene definitely pushes you, motivates you, and drives you to your limit. Muscle failure is what makes this workout intense and what helps create muscle growth, thus having stronger muscles. Oh yeah! Who doesn't want that? Yes please :)

So what is muscle failure you may ask? Muscle failure is the point when your working muscle is fully fatigued to the extent that it can no longer complete another repetition of a movement with strict biomechanics. Why is it important? So, in order to achieve recognizable growth, you would need to apply an overloading stimulus to the muscle you are reaching for muscle failure. Thus creating micro-tears in your muscles, and with proper nutritional dieting and rest, those muscles will repair growing bigger and stronger. Ta da!!! Awesome sauce right?

Okay enough talk of muscles. Even though it is so intriguing and I absolutely love how the human body works. Here are my results of PiYo!!! .......

So Day 1, I was 175 pounds with a total of 194 inches. Day 30, I was able to lose 3.75 inches and weighed 172. And finally Day 60, I am at 169 pounds and have shredded 10.25 inches total!! Woo hoo! Seriously, the first month I was taking per-cautions due to just having a baby, but if I went at this hardcore from start to finish I would have gotten killer results. However, let's focus on what I did accomplish and I made progress so that makes me happy. PiYo is seriously a workout I would recommend to anyone looking to get stronger and leaner muscle mass along with improved flexibility. I have grown stronger because of it.

It takes a lot of commitment and consistency. I know I always express this to you guys, but it's so true! It also takes motivation and inspiration to keep you driven. This is why I run challenge groups and am a part of them. Coaching is not only my priority to help you get through the challenge and help push you through it, but being a part of the challenge helps me realize that I'm also benefiting from your efforts and dedication. We all hold one another accountable. We all push each other to our limits. And we all encourage each other to stay focused on our goals to be better! This is why I love coaching and this is why it's so effective.

Another successful program in the bag! Oh yeah! I'm stoked. You should be too, because guess what? I'm running a challenge group this month and this is your time to shine. "Fall into Fitness" kicks off October 20, 2014. The holidays are zooming in fast and there's not excuse to neglect your health and fitness. Be a part of this amazing challenge. Join in on endless support, motivation, accountability, health tips, meal planning, and so much more! Please fill out my application. I'm looking for 10 hard charging, motivated, and inspired individuals to kick start their health and fitness journey today. Let's do it!!!

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