Birthday Recap

I've meant to do a post about my Birthday, but life happens ;)

My Birthday was on July 22nd (a week ago) and I had a few days worth of celebrations!  To start it off, I went to North Carolina last Saturday with my parents and brother to visit my Grandparents.  The past couple of times my family has gone to visit, I was unable to go.  So, I was SO glad that I was finally able to get up there to see them!  My Grandma's Birthday was on the 18th so we got to celebrate hers late and mine early.  My mom surprised us with a sweet cake from a local bakery.

Here is the cake:

The cake was sweet and simple.  It was red velvet on the inside and OH.SO.YUMMY (very moist!)

Of course, we had to get a picture of the birthday girls so here is the picture with the candles :)

 Sunday night we came home from NC to celebrate my Birthday with my Sister and her family, my Brother and his girlfriend Julia, and my boyfriend.  Josh works every Monday night, so we needed to celebrate Sunday night.  That was fine with me-- it meant one more day of celebrations!  Sunday night we all headed out to Chilis for dinner.  It was delicious, as always.  We then headed home for presents and dessert!

Here are some of my presents from the present table:

My Sister is the BOMB.COM and made a cupcake bar just for me!  She knew I asked for a "white" icing, yet knew others liked chocolate, so she made 2 different kinds.  There were TONS of toppings to decorate your cupcake!  It was the neatest thing I had ever seen.  Everyone likes different combinations, so I HIGHLY recommend this for a birthday OR party!  Ashley even made cute signs for everything!  Thanks, Ashley :)

 This was my combination: topped with Reese's, Crushed Oreo's, Fresh Strawberries, and Sprinkles!

Josh was so sweet and bought me a new LAPTOP! I was so surprised and was not expecting that at all.  He knew how much I needed one and I'm so thankful for him!  I love it! I also got some money, gift cards, Thirty-One items, a picture of Cooper and me from the Beach (MY FAV gift!) and a monogrammed shirt that my sister made.  I am truly blessed!

Monday night, my Mom and Dad fixed a healthy pasta.  Ashley, Noah, Cooper, Jay and Julia were all here to help me celebrate, again!  I missed Josh and I know he missed us, too!

That's it, folks for the Birthday goodness.  I always get soo giddy over my birthday.  Here's to the next year! Let's hope 25 treats me right!

60 Day Challenge

Hey, everyone! I've put a video together about what a challenge group is.  I know a lot of people have shown interest and want more information, so I figured a video would provide you with everything you need to know.  It is a little over 6 minutes and gives the ins and outs of what you need to participate and what to expect when you agree to the Challenge.

I have ONE spot left for the Challenge Group starting THIS MONDAY, July 29th.  If you are ready to commit then MESSAGE me! You will get a FREE gift if you are the next challenger!

Also, Focus T25 (Shaun T's new program) that is 25 minutes a day, 5 days a week, is only on sale THROUGH Wednesday.  It is the hottest new workout and I am going to be starting it as soon as I finish Insanity.  I only have 2 weeks of Insanity left.

Take a look at my video and message me ASAP if you are interested in the challenge.  Don't forget: In the end we only regret the chances we didn't take.  MAKE A COMMITMENT TODAY to start changing your lifestyle for the better.

Make the most of Monday!

Hey, y'all! I wanted to do a QUICK blog post to let you know that I'm still here! Today is my Birthday and we celebrated with my whole family last night.  My sweet boyfriend got me a laptop and it was MUCH NEEDED! I was overjoyed to open up my package because I absolutely had NO CLUE he got me one! I'll be able to do more blog posts from home, which I need to do anyways.

I'll be working on a post from my Birthday Weekend as well as a post about my upcoming August Challenge Groups!  I am SO excited about my upcoming Challenges and where my Beachbody Business is taking me.

STAY TUNED for the deets on both things-- my Birthday & the Challenges! :)

Have a blessed Monday!

What is your ideal workout time?

This is going to be a short and sweet post.  The past couple of days I've been waking up at the crack of dawn...literally (5AM) to workout.  I've been doing this because I have a lot going on in the evenings after work and don't want to have to worry about fitting in an hour long workout then.

So, I want to list some pro's and con's of working out (my opinions only) in the morning!
Pros:

-You get the workout done first thing, so you have the rest of the day to work or do whatever it is you need to do.
-You can cook dinner when you want and not worry about working out
-Jump start your day with an exercise- it will get you movin'!
-First thing in the morning, your body doesn't yet realize what it's doing... hehe
-It wakes you UP!

Cons:

-You have to wake up EARLY!!
-You don't really have time to eat a breakfast BEFORE the workout
-You have the risk of waking up  your sweet neighbors underneath you (apartment settings only)!


So- this was just for fun and what my pro's and con's are! I think I'm going to start getting up every morning to get my workout done!  It's worth the hour of sleep I lose.  Also, I have my shakeology AFTER my workout.  I know some of you could probably eat before, but I like to give my body time to digest after I eat and I DO NOT want to get up at 4:30 AM just to have Shakeology.  So far, I've been a little weak, but not to the point where I feel like I'll pass out! 

Getting in a routine is the BIGGEST part of working out!  I was always used to working out right when I got home from work.  But, I'm tempted to cook dinner and to watch TV.  Now, I can do that as soon as I get home from work! 

What is your favorite time of the day to exercise?

Clean Eating Balsamic Pork Chops

In my last blog, I told you how I had the Balsamic Pork Chops on my dinner menu for last night.  I am telling you, these are THE BEST pork chops, ever!  I'm obsessed with them and they are SO easy to make.  This recipe also came from The Gracious Pantry.  I've made them about 5 times now and they never fail to taste wonderful.

I decided to serve mine alongside some green beans and half a baked sweet potato drizzled with honey and a touch of cinnamon.  I also fixed a small side salad with spinach, green peppers, tomato and cucumber.

This has to be one of my favorite meals, ever.  I brought leftovers for work and I don't know how I'll be able to wait until 12:30 to eat them! 

So, I'm not exaggerating about the yumminess of this meal.  It's fast, easy, and a "one dish wonder".  It also has very few ingredients!

Here's the picture of last night's dinner!

 

Ingredients:

- 2 breakfast cut pork chops (thin chops)

- 2 teaspoons olive oil

- 6 cloves garlic, chopped fine

- 1 tblsp Balsamic Vinegar

- Salt and pepper to taste

Now, how good does that look?  Head on over to The Gracious Pantry for this recipe and to check out the other things she has listed.  I just came across a Clean Eating Slow Cooker Italian Style Meatball recipe that I want to try out next week!

Clean Eating Spaghetti Pie

Last night for dinner, my Sister, Noah, and Cooper came over.  We had planned for the night a Clean Eating Spaghetti Pie.  I wasn't sure if they would be up for that (not everyone in my family is on the healthy eating kick like I am) but we went ahead and made it. 

I got this recipe from The Gracious Pantry.  If you have never heard of the site, or been there, GO! There are tons of recipes and a lot of information about eating clean.  I was directed to this site from my coach and I refer to it at least a few times a week.  I've also made the Balsamic Pork Chops, which is actually on the menu for tonight.  I'll be posting about that tomorrow!

I didn't take a picture of the spaghetti pie, like I should have.  But, this is what is on the Gracious Pantry's website and it looked similar. 

 

If you don't know much about clean eating, it's mostly about no additives, no sugar added.  Very simple and very healthy meals. 

 

 

Ingredients for Spaghetti Pie:

 

- 1 1/2 lb ground turkey, cooked with 1 tbsp of olive oil

- 2 tsp garlic powder

- 2 tsp onion powder

- 1 (15 oz) jar spaghetti sauce (no sugar added)

- 8 egg whites

- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning

- 16 ounces whole grain spaghetti, cooked and drained

- 1 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)

 

For the directions, please visit The Gracious Pantry.

My Reviews:

It was different.  I'm used to a lot of sauce and this was VERY dry.  The next time I make it, I will make sure to put additional sauce in it and to have it covered in the oven the whole time!  I liked the ground turkey and the spices.  It was just missing sauce!  I fixed this along with a side salad and it was very filling!

Let me know how you like it :)

Focus T25

As you are all well aware, I am in the middle of Insanity.  I have no plans of stopping now as I am about to go into the recovery week before I hit the second half of the program!  Please cheer me on and wish me luck as my workouts are about to get SO.MUCH.HARDER!  I am just now getting to the point where I can just about do a whole workout and now they are going to be upping everything on me.  Whew.  I can't even think about it.  Especially since this bad boy just came out.

Introducing, Focus T25.  The creator of Insanity, Shaun T, has come out with this super awesome new program called Focus T25.  It's 25 minutes a day, 5 days a week!  My favorite part?  A girl modifies the whole workout so that if you are a newbie to working out or have some knee problems and low impact exercises, you can follow her throughout and still get a killer workout.  I wish Insanity had that! 

I just ordered Focus T25 since it's at such a great price for the month of July.  NOW is the time to get this if you are waiting on it!  If time has been an excuse in your past, then this is definitely for YOU!  All of the talk around Facebook is about this and MANY people are starting Focus T25 Challenges.

Here is a transformation from one of the girls from the "test group":

 

 

If you are interested in this program, watch this video about it!

 

If you are ready to purchase, sign up for a FREE Beachbody membership with me as your coach by clicking here

You can also purchase the product directly here

OR find me on Facebook to find about my upcoming Challenge Group starting July 15th! www.facebook.com/laura.ashworth3

 

 

What is a Challenge Group?

Okay, so if you are a friend of mine on Facebook, you are well aware that I've been advertising for a Beachbody Challenge Group.  So, what exactly is it?  Is it free? What do you do?  I get SO many people who are interested in it and aren't so sure what it all entails.

I will be doing a video within the next week and will be posting that as well about challenge groups. 

So, what is a Challenge Group?

My Challenge Groups consist of a small group of girls who are all looking to achieve the same things.  We want to better our lifestyle by eating healthier and by exercising.  We interact on a daily b basis through a private FB group.  We post fun pictures, complete little assignments, and really we just talk about how our day went: how was the workout? have you completed your workout for the day? what were some things you are proud of?  Also, we talk about some of the negatives going on in our lives... about the piece of chocolate cake we ate and shouldn't and how you will prevent that from happening again.  Also, your coach (which would be me) would start discussions about certain topics, I will provide information about eating clean and healthy.

What will I do as your coach?

I will say this again and again and if you know ME you know this is TRUE! I am NOT a personal trainer (people would probably laugh at me if I ever said I was) and I am NOT a fitness or nutritional expert.  But, I do have resources and the knowledge to share with you information that I've received and that I've implemented in my lifestyle to help me change for the better.  I will also support, encourage, motivate, and help keep you accountable throughout your WHOLE journey to reach your goals (whether it takes 60 days or 2 years).  I am SO passionate about this and I am so inspired by this company, I will and I WANT to help YOU accomplish and achieve ALL of your goals!

 

What do you need to get to be a Challenger?

 

In order to be a challenger, you must do 2 things: Commit to a Beachbody workout program of your choice (P90x, Insanity, Focus T25, Slim in 6, Turbo Fire, etc.) and drink Shakeology once a day in place of a meal.

 

So, yes you must INVEST in this.  You must INVEST in yourself!  Challenge packs start at $140 and go up from there.  It just depends on which workout you choose.  Also, if you have a workout, the Shakeology starts at $130/30 day supply.  



How often do I hold Challenge Groups?

 

I  have a challenge group once or twice a month, depending on what I have going on and how many challengers I have that are ready to commit.  My next challenge group will be starting July 15th. 

 

How do you get into a Challenge Group?

 

Are you ready to commit to a Challenge?  Find me on Facebook and send me a message OR e-mail me at ashworth_laura@ymail.com and let me know why YOU are committed to a challenge.  Hurry, spaces are limited!  If it happens to be full, I will get you set up on my next one.  I look forward to working with you to achieve all of your goals!  



Week 3 of Insanity=Complete

Whew! Just the thought of finishing Week 3 of Insanity is exhausting! It has been a tough ride, but it's one I'm sure I will never forget.  I also KNOW it will change my life... for the better!  I've been itching at looking at results from when I started.  I know it takes a while to see results and I've also been told the second part of Insanity is where you will see most of the results.  But, I decided to go ahead and snap some pictures at Day 22 (not even half-way into the program-- It's a 60 day program).

So, here are my results:

 

 

I will keep updating you along my journey and hope to have a YouTube of an Insanity workout that I'm doing... I haven't been that brave yet! ;)

 

And, stay tuned for after pics around August!