Never give up!

Excuses have to be the #1 reason why people don't achieve their goals and become successful.  Society is so based around excuses and doing what we want to do in the MOMENT, not thinking about how it will affect our futures.

Thinking back on my fitness journey (sorry, I'm not sorry I talk about it all of the time!), I think about all of the times that I've wanted to quit.  I often ask myself "WHY do I want to make myself work out when I simply don't want to?" "How will it hurt me?"

Reality is, I lived 23 years unhealthy.  I ate the wrong foods, didn't exercise nearly as much as I should, was never active in sports (other than cheerleading in my youthful days and middle school).  I was setting my body up for failure.  I felt bloated all of the time.  I had an irregular digestive system.  Most importantly, I FELT bad and LOOKED bad.  When I had to walk far,  I felt drained.  It EXHAUSTED me.  I dreaded it.

When I think of my excuses, most are either time related or that I just didn't feel good.

I have a lot going on, and this past year I discovered I have 2 extra sinus cavities, which have caused me A LOT of trouble with sinus infection after sinus infection.  With allergy season in FULL SWING, I'm finding myself drained and with headaches a lot.

BUT, when I feel like giving up, I remind myself why I started.  I was TIRED of being who I was.  I was TIRED of being the "big girl", the girl who would always cover herself up at the pool, the girl who didn't want to be surrounded by ANY GUYS at the pool (ummmm I did NOT want them seeing my fat rolls or thunder thighs!).  I was self conscious.

I'm NOT at my goal body, but I feel so much better.  When I go for a long walk, I FEEL good.  I FEEL light!  I feel like I am a million bucks.  And to me, that's ALL that matters.

SO, if you take anything from this post, please know that I am behind you.  If you feel like giving up, remember why you started.

Remember: "Giving up is simply NOT an option"

XO,

Shakeology

Today, I am CRAVING peaches.  This feeling is bringing me back to last year when I had an abundance of fresh peaches.  My favorite thing to do with them?  Eat them, of course!
I LOVED throwing them in my Vanilla Shakeology.  I added a peach, a handful of strawberries, some milk, ice, and the vanilla shakeology and it was like drinking paradise in a cup!

Okay, maybe it wasn't THAT good, but I really loved it!

If you were brought here wondering "What the HECK is Shakeology?" then bear with me and I'll give you a brief history. 

It's a meal replacement shake filled with super foods, proteins, vitamins, nutrients, pro & pre biotics, and many other great stuff.  Literally, so much I can't name them all. 

What does it do? 
- Aids in weight loss
- Increases energy
- Regulates your digestive system
- Reduces cravings
- Gives your body all the healthy stuff it needs

What have I noticed since drinking it?

I've noticed a HUGE difference in my energy and my digestive system.  I still get tired throughout the day, but I no longer need naps like I used to have.  My digestive system is regular and that's all I'll say about that!
If you are looking to change your nutrition in your diet and start feeding yourself healthy things and want to lose a few lbs or two, then Shakeology might be something you can use.  It's NOT a magic pill... You will still have to work hard, but it will make the process easier and you get to have a yummy shake everyday.

I LOVE it!
How good does this shake look?

 

Message me if you want more information on Shakeology! XO,

Adults in Braces life update

I am so aggravated with myself for not blogging more about my journey as an adult with braces. From the very beginning, I made a promise to myself to NEVER hide my braces and to totally embrace them. I think I've done an overall good job with it. Of course, I cover my mouth when I laugh, but I think I did that before I had braces. Don't get me wrong... I'm so much more self counsious now that I have braces. Of course, I get some weird looks from people who see an adult in braces. But, I have never let that get to me or bother me. I think as an adult you just get to the point where you don't REALLY care what people think. So, I do wish that I would have blogged a little more about my journey. It will be 2 years in May. TWO YEARS. Did you hear me? Looking back, it seems like it has been 5 years BUT at the same time it seems like it could have only been 2 months. If that makes any sense to you, at all. I can't believe it's been that long but looking back I've been through SO.MUCH. on my journey. I've survived a tissue graft, spacers, a pendulum appliance, braces, canine exposure surgery, pulling my canine down from a bracket when it was in the roof of my mouth, to NOW. Holy Moly. Did I really go through all of that? I can't believe I've actually done it. You see, I've talked about needing this and getting these procedures done since I was in middle school. I just kept putting it off until I literally ran out of excuses and just jumped in head first. If you stumbled across this because you either have braces as an adult or if you are going to get them, then please know that this has NOT been a horrible experience AT ALL. Yes, there were ups and downs. There were many weeks that I was on a soft food diet due to surgeries. There were days when my mouth hurt to talk. There were days when I wanted to rip my braces off and be done with them. But, when it comes down to it, I've actually gotten used to them. It's a way of life for me. I always have to pick things out of my braces after I eat. I can't bite into a cheeseburger, a slice of pizza, a strawberry, or anything for that matter. A fork and knife have become my best friends! My estimated braces treatment length was 24-30 months. I'm about to head into my 24th month. I go back to the orthodontist tomorrow and I don't know when my estimated de-brace date is. We haven't talked about it, yet. But, I'm anxious to get them off! For those of you who don't know my story, you can check it out on some posts about it here on my blog. In short, I had an impacted canine in my upper mouth. Sorry, I'm not good with the dental lingo! ;) I had a tissue graft prior to braces to get enough tissue around the area I was going to have a future surgery. In June of last year, I had a canine exposure surgery. My baby tooth I carried around for 24 years was pulled and my canine tooth was exposed. A bracket was attached to the tooth and slowly my tooth was pulled down. It's fully down, BTW :) I've also had braces throughout the whole time and had to wear a pendulum appliance to help move my teeth. The pendulum appliance was put in at the beginning and I wore it until my exposure surgery. Here are some progress pictures and pictures from my journey. Feel free to message me if you have any questions about anything!

This was from the first few days of my braces journey.  You can tell I had a space on MY upper left side (the right side of the picture).  It literally closed up within a day!  I was shocked.

This shows my tooth coming down!! Yay!

Here is THE BEST picture... (wait for it ;))....

So, here it is!! Whatcha think?!

XO,

How much time does it take to be a Beachbody coach?

Throughout the past few months, I've had multiple people ask me or shoot down the idea of Coaching because they weren't sure they had enough "time" to be a coach.

How much time DOES it take one to become an Independent Team Beachbody Coach?

My answer is below in the video I did.  But, if you DO want to know, then all I have to say is that I don't have an answer for it.  Find out WHY by watching my video!

XO,

Bombshell Retreat

As I'm here at the Pittsburgh Airport waiting on my flight, I have a million things running through my head.  I am excited, nervous, excited, EXCITED, and super anxious to get home and to implement all of the amazing things I've learned.

This past weekend, I've spent time with 24+ girls (and a couple of guys!) on a Bombshell Winter Retreat in Seven Springs, PA.

WHAT IS A BOMBSHELL RETREAT?

It was a gift that I won, through my Star Upline Diamond Coach, Kati Heifner.  This is all through Beachbody and I'm so blessed to be part of such an amazing team.  I wouldn't be who I am if it weren't for the amazing support system I've been surrounded by for the past 9 months.

We learned about leadership, sponsorship, challenge groups, and other things to help our teams become successful at helping others achieve their goals.

Yes, this is a business. BUT, with that I want to stress that this business is ALL ABOUT HELPING PEOPLE! I get a crazy weird high when I have a customer who tells me that they lost 6 lbs in a week on a Beachbody Program. How FREAKING AH-MAZING is that.  This business changes lives, and I am part of that.

So, take a look at a few pictures from this weekend!  I can't even put into words how amazing this experience has been.  I'm forever grateful for all of the blessings in my life.

 More pictures to come...!

XO,

Fitness Motivation

Here's a little Thursday fitspiration!

PS- I have an online fitness group starting March 24th! Message me if you want a spot.  ONLY TWO SPOTS LEFT! First come, first serve! Message me or comment below for more information!

Goldendoodle puppies

If you follow me on Facebook, you should be well aware that Josh and I just brought home our goldendoodle 11 month old pup.  He came with the name Dasher, that we quickly changed to Hudson.  We didn't think he fit the "Dasher" name.

When it came to discussing getting a new pet for our family, Josh and I had many discussions over which breed to get.  He was used to BIG dogs (he just had to put to sleep his best friend Nich, a Siberian Husky) and wanted another dog like him.  However; we live in a smallish townhome and don't have a yard for an outside dog.  I feared that the dog would completely DESTROY our small back patio.

I had seen pictures of goldendoodle pups and fell in love with their teddy bear like qualities.  I started doing research and found a breeder in the area.

Benefits of a goldendoodle:

1. GREAT family pet.  They are good with children (which is a MUST since I will (hopefully) be having my own in the next 3-5 years or so).
2.  Hypoallergenic.  If you know me, you know I struggle with sinuses.  Anything can trigger them and I worried that a dog who sheds would keep me sick all of the time.  Goldendoodles are perfect for me.
3.  They are supposedly VERY smart and LOYAL.  I like that. 
4.  They are BIG dogs (Hudson will be around 50 lbs).  Even though they are big, they are big giants.  Being a big dog is a plus for Josh.  He didn't want a froofroo dog, like my Stella.
5.  They don't shed!  This goes back to the hypoallergenic.  I can't deal with a house full of dog hair.
6.  They are ADORABLE!

So, we are all very excited about Hudson and I can't wait until we break him of his bad habits (especially potty training).  This is a new ball game for me and I am learning as I go.  Pray that I stay sane these next few months ;)

Here's our sweet family.  I'm holding Stella (my adopted maltese mix) and Josh holding Hudson the day we brought him home!)

 

XO,