Juli

Today's Motivational Monday is Juli. I saw her before and after on a 21 Day Fix support group I follow, and I felt like I just needed to know more about her. This beautiful mother of two did a 360, and completely changed her life around while working a full time job. She made a healthier future for herself and for her children. Here's her amazing story:

On June 18th 2014...I woke up...weighing 283 pounds...dragging my weighted body around and suffering daily...no energy...no strength. ..no self confidence. That day...was the turn of my life...I decided it was time...it was my time to get life back and live it better for my kids. Immediately I pulled all resources...all friends who I knew would help me steer me to a healthier life. I chose to count calories immediately. Downloaded an app and start my journey. I didn't know what to do...all I did know...was that I was about to give my all and conquer a life long battle. The weight slowly dripped from my body. I joined a 21 day Challenge through Beachbody...I made friends...I made a support team...I started doing t25..as the weight came off...I decided to try Combat and see how I did with kickboxing. The Beachbody workouts were something I could do while still maintaining my busy schedule. Then one day...I weighed and I saw the number...199.9...I cried...I screamed...I realized...I was in fact getting life back. I don't remember being under 200 pounds. I was at 221 the day I started 9th grade. I can't tell you how much joy I experienced...how much farther could I go? I didn't know...I just knew I had determination and motivation on my side. I had started helping people lose weight. I became a person people could trust because I fought the battle...Lucky for me...I had made friend's month before with a coach who then showed me the way...to maintain and finish conquering my goals...I started the 21 day fix plan and started drinking shakeology. Wow...I had already adapted the healthy meals..but it was not balanced. The 21 day plan showed me how to balance my life. Before I knew it...I had lost over 110 pounds. I had gone from a size 24 to a size 8....my children see mom as being fit and healthy. My life is in control...I have confidence. Yes...I wake up daily and still see the big girl. ..I knew her for 31 years...it's hard to see myself different. But the clothes don't lie. The scales don't lie. My health doesn't lie. I was about to be diabetic...I saved myself. I saved myself from being obese for forever. I did this. Now one did it for me. I woke up. Said I was ready and did it. Daily we all fight battles...daily we all say we shoulda, coulda, woulda..but...I realized....I'm a strong woman...I did the unthinkable. ...I decided it was my time....who better to realize a destructive life and make it a beautiful one other then myself. I can breath now...I can smile now...I am not finished with this battle. It will be lifelong. However...I am determined to seek my goals. I have one thing going for me...life.

Juli, you are truly an inspiration! There are so many people who don't think they can do it. You are proof that the first step is to just make the decision to change! Thank you for sharing your story with us!

Tracking your food

One of my biggest struggles is keeping track of how many, or how little, I've eaten. I have the 21 Day Fix Fit tracker (which is only for Iphones right now), but I don't always log in my food. I used to eat WAY too much, and now I feel like I'm shoving food down. When you change your relationship with food from using food for comfort to mostly using food for fuel, you don't want to think through it so much! You wouldn't think it was a problem, but I want to burn FAT not hold on to it. You're body  needs to properly be fueled, frequently, and with the right foods.

I decided to come up with a little system to help me. Maybe it'll help you too!

I got some button magnets and craft paint from Walmart. The magnets were $5.97, and the craft paint was $2.97. This may seem expensive when you can just get a free, or fairly cheap app on your phone, but I will explain why this will help me better in a moment.

 I found some clear nail polish in my bathroom, and laid down some news paper. The paint didn't go on nice and smooth as I hoped, so I put it on thick, and dabbed. It made a lumpy coating, but it looked kind of cool.

I painted all the magnets with the colors I needed and let them sit and dry for about 2 hours, just to be safe.

I added a thick layer of the clear nail polish. It evened out the lumpy look. Then I let them dry another hour. (You may not need to wait this long, I just wanted to make sure they would be dry before moving them to my fridge.)

As you eat a container, slide a colored magnet to the right. You can spread them out on your fridge or keep them fairly close together. Whatever you prefer. 

Why will this work better than an app? Because first of all, I never even logged into the app every day. It's kind of hard to avoid these when they're right on my fridge. I walk past them 1,000 times a day, so I'll be reminded to eat. AND in the evenings, when I just want to keep eating, I have the accountability of those magnets right there stopping me from opening the fridge! 

I'm about to make Jake's set, and I'll keep going and make a set for each of my kids as well. Sometimes we get distracted and don't even know how much our kids have eaten, or what. I can make sure they get in all their fruits and veggies, and feel better about what they've eaten at the end of the day. As they get older, they can learn to keep track of it themselves, and learn to get them in because it's so important.

Is this something that would help you? What would you do differently? Let me know!

Work it Wednesday

I have always loved working out, sometimes just the idea of it, sometimes the actual act. In middle school I did track and learned to love running. After high school, I stopped running and have struggled ever since to get back into it. I have felt weak and frustrated with my lack of endurance when trying to run after losing that drive when I was in college.

In high school, I cheered, and that helped stay somewhat in shape, although after I broke out of an eating disorder (for the most part) in my sophomore year, I put on the pounds that are just starting to come off! I never realized how much weight I gained until I looked back at pictures recently.

College was just like most peoples' experiences, I gained weight from eating a ton of quick and easy processed foods. I tried to eat healthy when I could, and even got a Gold's Gym membership. I HATE working out in front of people though. It was so overwhelming and scary to walk into a huge gym and have all these people around. I got a little to anxious and stopped going after a few times. What a major waste of money.

I first got introduced to Beachbody after that gym experience. I saw a commercial about Slim in 6, and I gave it a try. I liked it, and stuck with it for about 3 weeks, which was amazing for me! I never stuck to anything. And then I quit. I tried it again a few more times, and it's been in my movie box ever since. I loved that I could get results in my own home, without major machines or needing a ton of dumbbells. The program was a great price for the money. The only problem? I didn't have a coach who cared. I think he emailed me once.

I married my husband when I was 21. He was 22, so we were both young, working full time, and living in a dinky apartment. I was used to cooking big meals for my big family of 9 if I did cook, so I would make way too much food for the two of us. He ate so quickly, that I felt like I had to shove food down fast. Because we were both working, we also went out to eat, more times than we should a week. Thus began our joint weight gains.

I noticed my weight gain first. My clothes started getting snug, but I was a dental assistant and wore scrubs all day, so no big deal. We were struggling to get pregnant, and I found out I have Celiac Disease. I changed my diet for a few weeks, and BAM! Got pregnant. My husband got a job offer in another city, so I quit my job and we moved. I watched some children during the day, but not everyday, so for the most part, I just rested and swam and ate during my pregnancy. I quickly gained 70 pounds. I was so uncomfortable. I didn't feel like myself. I hated the way I looked. I couldn't wait to have my daughter and get all that extra weight off.

In September 2012, I had a c-section. I was determined not to let it hold me back. I started walking the same week I had my daughter, and all was good. Until I got postpartum depression. I felt immobilized with negativity about myself, my skills as a mother, my weight, everything you could think of. This went on for an entire year.

I remember the day my daughter turned 1, I had lost some weight but not enough, and I remember thinking, I wanted to be back to pre-pregnancy weight or lower by now. Everyone was having fun, and I just felt sick to my stomach. I was ready to break out of my funk.

I found a program the next day, and it took some time to decide if I wanted to try it or not, but eventually in January I did. The program consisted of prepackaged foods and eating every 2-3 hours. I learned a lot from this program, specifically from the doctor who designed it. But it wasn't right for me. You were discouraged to workout, or do minimal working out. I didn't like the idea of eating packaged foods when I'd read so much about clean eating.

I kept on the program until I got pregnant with my son. I had gotten down to about where I was when I got pregnant with my daughter, so I was happy, but not happy about getting pregnant already. It was tough for me to adjust. I started walking 4 miles a day with my mom, and I felt so strong, and so great. I did that until I was about 30 weeks along, and then brought it down to 2 miles a day. Then in the end, I started walking like crazy to get that baby out! He finally came a week late.

I only gained 30 pounds with him. It was more than I wanted, but I was being healthy and that's what mattered to me. I started walking again, and even added in some running here and there. I could only run a mile, and I felt like I was dying. I missed running for miles at a time, so I quickly got discouraged.

Then I got introduced to 21 Day Fix. I LOVE these workouts. I love working out in my living room, or in my bedroom. I love that my daughter can do it right next to me. I love that it's only 30 minutes. I love Autumn and how encouraging she can be. I absolutely love how quickly I saw results, and how easy it was to stick to the workouts. I've done the workouts since the end of April, and with a few exceptions, I haven't stopped! I'm now at a weight I haven't been at since high school. I have muscles and definition I've NEVER had. Like ever. I feel strong. I feel healthy. And I'm addicted! It's so awesome, I just want to share it with everyone (I guess that's how this post that was supposed to be small and about workouts blew up and became my whole life story...sorry!) Literally anyone can do these workouts! I have seen 90 year olds do them! I even know a lady in a wheel chair doing what she can! Anyway...

What you've all been waiting for, some videos of my workouts! (Don't judge me! I didn't work out the whole week before from being sick and it was my first day back into it!)

What has helped me stick to it this time? Having a great coach! This is something I'm striving to be as well. I can't force people to do their workouts, but I can encourage them, and listen to their struggles and help with solutions. So far, everyone has loved the workouts just as much as I have!

Interested in trying 21 Day Fix? Message me.

Chocolate Ice Cream

I accidentally made a new recipe this week. I was trying to come up with a way to make my Shakeology ahead of time. I have friends who work and want shakes ready to go, and sometimes I work out and need a shake before my little ones are awake and don't want to wake them with my magic bullet roaring!

I made an extra shake yesterday and put it in the freezer. I figured I'd see how long it took to thaw, and then I could share an awesome tip with my friends. NOPE! It is WAY too good frozen. Like, I might never eat ice cream again, good!

Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream

1/2 cup crushed ice

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1 scoop chocolate Shakeology 

Fill the rest of the container with water (I am guessing it's about 1/2 cup)

Blend in blender, magic bullet, ninja if you're fancy, whatever you have for about 1 minute. Freeze for at least an hour. I had mine in the freezer overnight.

It's a guilt free treat, totally 21 Day Fix approved, and not even a treat swap! I'm all about those non treat swap sweets! 

Here's a few others you could try if you have chocolate Shakeology:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream

1/2 cup crushed ice

1 scoop chocolate Shakeology

1/2 Medium Banana

2 tsp peanut butter (PB2 works amazingly well!)

water

Almond Joy Ice Cream

1/2 cup crushed ice

1 scoop chocolate Shakeology

1 orange container of coconut

water

(Chop up some almonds and stir in after blending, then freeze)

Chocolate Mint Ice Cream

1/2 cup crushed ice

1 scoop chocolate Shakeology

2 (tiny) drops of peppermint extract

water

Want to see more recipes like this, let me know! 

Pancake toppings

My try it Tuesday is a tad lame this week, just getting back into the swing of things from being sick, and don't have a ton of food to pick from since I haven't made it to the store yet! Remember when I said planning was everything in my meal prep post? Yeah well, I need to practice what I preach! I'll be going to the store later today.

Anyway, nearly every morning Kallie asks for pancakes. I usually try to talk her into oatmeal, my go to breakfast. But every once in awhile, I give in. Luckily, we found this awesome mix from Costco called Kodiak cakes. They're protein pancakes so I figured they'd be gross and we'd have to soak them in syrup for her to eat them. But she loves them! She's even eating them with fruit now.

The syrup we use is from our local grocery store, it's just pure maple syrup. I use it for a lot of stuff, on top of my sweet potatoes, on oatmeal, pancakes of course, and random other stuff that needs to be sweetened. I'm getting sick of syrup though!

I read about microwaved frozen fruit the other day as syrup, and we tried it today. Delicious! Just put a cup of frozen raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, or a combination of those in a glass or microwavable bowl for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring after every 30 seconds. We loved it!

Oh here's a picture of the Kodiak cakes we get from Costco!

Another topping we tried today is skillet apples! I just cut an apple in bite sized pieces and seasoned it with cinnamon. I melted a teaspoon of coconut oil in the skillet and cooked the apple pieces on both sides until they were soft. 

We put 1/4 cup of plain greek yogurt on a pancake, the apples, and then drizzled some honey on top. They were my favorite!

You could use these apples just on yogurt with honey, on oatmeal, waffles, on a whole wheat tortilla with some ricotta cheese and honey, on cottage cheese, in a salad....

It was a little more time consuming of a breakfast than a normal day, but we all have happy tummies!

Needless to say, I might be making pancakes more often! These Kodiak pancakes are 1 yellow for 1 pancake.

Next time I want to try plain Greek yogurt, pineapple, and coconut! I could probably write a whole book on pancake toppings.

What did you think of this post? Let me know!

Meal Planning

Meal planning is an EXTREMELY important key to succeeding in 21 Day Fix, as well as with saving money. I spent a little time making an example of a meal plan, I didn't add in all the teaspoons I would use, and if there isn't enough greens, it's because at certain times I use 2 green containers for salad.

This is just an example of a meal plan I would follow. I try to use up all that I make, so I have left overs. By doing this, I've found it's so much easier to stick to the program, and I've prevented wasting food by only buying what I know I'll use. When I'm at the store, I buy only what's on my list, and that helps with not buying treats and stuff we don't need. This week I'm trying to be really strict, so I am not doing treat swaps, so my usual weeks look a little different than this, but on regular weeks, I even plan those out. That helps with not cheating all the time, I know I'll have a treat on a certain day, and I can fake a will power! You won't see any shakes on my grocery list, because I use Shakeology , my healthiest meal, everyday.

Tricks I use while meal planning is starting with one category (protein, vegetables, etc) and working my way through the whole day, then week, and then add it to the grocery list. Then start with the next category, until I'm done. Color coding always helps! I save my meal plan in excel, and rotate between meal plans, so I can be a little lazy!

Did this inspire you to meal plan? What would you do differently? Let me know!

Motivational Monday-Ashley's Story

Ashley and I worked together before I had my daughter and left the world of working for others. She has been a great friend to me since we clicked, I think it was about Walking Dead. She is a hard worker, driven, and very patient. She bugged me several times about trying 21 Day Fix and coaching, and I was more than stubborn. I realized though, that if she could do this while being a mom and working full time, I could, too. Her determination to help others motivates me everyday. I'm so glad she introduced me to this program. This girl has changed my life! This is my coach Ashley's story:

"My name is Ashley and all my life I have struggled with my weight going Up and Down. I can remember being 13 and drinking Slim Fast to lose weight and restricting food to get results. Of corse we all know that those results don’t last! I was teased for being bigger and my family even shamed me at times. My mom was constantly dieting and I even remember my older sister struggling with her weight as well. I have done yo-yo diets, starvation even binging and purging. I have struggled with body dysmorphic disorder as well. In the summer of 2012, I was at my goal weight of 125lbs. I didn’t do it the healthy way at all. Lots of running and restricting foods, and purging when I did indulge. It was very hard on my body to maintain what I was doing. I slowly let bad habits like binging on fast food come back. Since then, I have let my self get back to my heaviest weight of 189lbs. I didn’t realize how out of control my weight had gotten but then again, I was self medicating with alcohol…LOTS OF ALCOHOL. I spent the last 2 years of my life drinking myself to death because I was unhappy with who I saw in the mirror. I let my relationship with my fiancé and my daughter suffer. 

I need to make a change.

I was following a Beachbody coach on Facebook and one day she posted her story on her wall. 

She showed her struggles and she had overcome body image issues and shedding the weight with T25. I had seen her posts before but when she shared her story it sparked something in me. If she could make a change so could I! I wanted nothing more than to love my body and be comfortable with myself and to also repair my relationships with my family.

I reached out to her and we chatted about what I was going through and how she could help me, if I was willing to do the work! 

I finally had HOPE!

I ordered the 21 Day Fix Extreme and it was the best decision of my life!

I have turned my life around. 

I’m not going to lie…..the first few days were ROUGH..basically HELL!

First of all when you open your Challenge pack and pull out the containers and see them your first thought is “SERIOUSLY! I’M GOING TO STARVE”

Then come the workouts…….its only 30 minutes…..LOL!

I hadn’t worked out for the last 2 years let alone run. I pushed play and then realized that this was going to be WORK! 

Huffing and puffing through the warm up meant that it was going to be a VERY LONG 30 minutes.

I pushed through the first workout but I did want to die the whole time, face beat red, sweat dripping and places I didn’t know could sweat did and Im pretty sure I was going to pass out or puke. 

Don’t worry none of those happened :) 

The food was way more than I expected and I even felt full all day long. 

I called my coach and asked her if I HAD TO EAT ALL THE FOOD….she said yes!

My brain was telling me NOPE, NO WAY! YOUR GOING TO GET FAT! 

My Coach said,TRUST THE PROCESS…..

I continued to Push Play and at the end of my first week of portion control and 30 minute workouts I was down 5lbs!

I COULDN’T FREAKING BELIEVE IT!!

All the sweat, tears and sore muscles were worth it!

I continued to push play and at the end of the 21 Days I was 13lbs lighter!!

During my journey I shared on my Facebook wall my progress, and when I shared my before and afters I had so many people who were ready to make a change! 

I had signed up as a discount coach because I knew I was going to do multiple rounds of the 21 Day Fix and I was in love with Shakeology!

It was the healthiest, easiest and simplest meal of the day and it came in a yummy chocolate flavor! 

Ladies who had followed my progress reached out to me and before I knew it I was running a challenge group just like the one I had started my journey in.

I truly believe that the VIP Challenge group on Facebook was one of the keys to my success. We had daily check-in’s and were held accountable by our coach.

It was nice to be encouraged by complete strangers who were on the same fitness journey as me. They shared their struggles and triumphs and were the motivation I needed to help me keep going when I wanted to give up.

Its been 4 1/2 months since I started this journey. I am a Diamond Coach and at 150lbs and have helped over 40 men and women reach their health and fitness goals! I have grown a team of amazing coaches who are helping others just like I did. I have built a successful business part time from my laptop at home and what started as just a way to take back my health has transformed into so much more. 

Fitness is a journey and I am so excited to see where this journey takes me!"

I'm so proud of my friend and how far she has come! Not only has she lost weight, but she's changed her mindset about health. I'm so grateful to be on her down-line and to have her as an example! You're doing great and amazing things girl!

Did Ashley's story motivate you? Leave me a comment! 

Saturday Struggles

I posted on Facebook about my issues with body image and anorexia, and I don't want to be repetitive, but I do want to write a little about struggles I have. It helps me to write things out, so this might not be the most exciting post.

I really struggle with body image, and even though I'm 80 pounds lighter today than I was had my daughter, I still feel that size at times. I have to make a conscious decision to love myself, everyday. I know I look much better now, and I feel much better. I have Celiac disease, so I FEEL 10,000 times better. But every once in awhile, I'll look in the mirror and think I still have SO much work to do.

I will always have work to do, I love this program and all the other Beachbody programs I've tried, so I'll always be doing something. But I've decided to throw out the "number" I want to be. I don't care about being a size anymore. It's nice to try on clothes and be surprised when a size fits, or is too big. That will always be exciting. But I'm not aiming to get to a tiny size anymore.

What are goals I have now? To work out 6 days a week. To keep eating healthy foods, and fueling my body with the best foods. To keep improving, because there's always room for improvement. To increase my weights or push myself harder. I don't need to be extreme, I just want to enjoy myself and push my body because it can do more.

Do you have body image issues? Have you ever struggled with an eating disorder? Either not eating, binge eating, emotional eating, etc? How have you gotten over them? Or are they still an issue? I'd love to hear from you! Message me, it can be between us, but I would like to know, for self improvement as well as helping others.

Flex Friday

Happy Friday ya'all! Sooooooo glad it's the weekend! On Fridays, we flex, so here's me flexing!

I am loving how strong my arms are getting! My entire body is getting strong, but I've never been proud of my arms. I've always had a weak upper body. Now my husband doesn't call someone to come over and help him move things, he just asks me! This is a huge feat!

I also wanted to share a recipe! There's one going around for overnight oats, some kind of chocolate cookie something or other. Jake and I tried it last week, and it was bitter! I love the idea of overnight oats. But I don't always think about making them before I go to bed. So I decided to make my own recipe of the chocolate oatmeal cookie idea, but not overnight!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Cookie Shake (what a mouth full!)

1 cup of ice

1 scoop chocolate Shakeology

2 TSP peanut butter (or PB2)

1/4 cup uncooked oats

1/2 cup water, you can use more or less 

Blend in magic bullet, blender, ninja whatever you have. ENJOY!

Thursday Tips

It's THIRSTY THURSDAY! I'm kidding, I think that has to do with alcohol? I don't know, I am guessing. But, it is Thursday. And thanks to all this mouth breathing I've been doing, because of a cold, I'm thirsty alllllll the time.

So my tip for this Thursday has to do with water! Do you know how important water is for your body? I'm a nursing mom, so I see directly what it does for my body, and what not drinking enough does for my body. It's pretty quick how I can dry up if I don't get enough water. Before becoming a mom and nursing, I never realized how important water was, and the benefits of drinking enough water.

There's been a lot of hype about drinking a gallon of water a day on social media lately. I strongly believe in a gallon a day! I've been doing it for years! And lets just say, people think I'm 16 and I'm 25...so there's something to this gallon a day thing.

Here's some other benefits to drinking water:

1. It's less calories than anything else you could drink! DUH. And please don't tell me you don't drink anything all day. That's gross. And your pee must stink. (Sorry, I'm a mom and deal with pee all day.)

2. Drinking plenty of water helps keep you regular, and as stated above, I deal with this a lot. Like A LOT! My son had a hard time going the other day, and gripped on to me and screamed as he pushed. It was the saddest thing. I've been giving him water all day, and he hasn't had a problem since! (Okay, sorry, no more potty talk!)

3. Water helps your body stay energized. When your muscles are hydrated they can perform better. When they aren't hydrated, they shrivel and you become fatigued.

4. Water helps with the bloat. I don't care if you're on your period, ate something funny, whatever. Chug some water. It always helps me get rid of the bloating!

What can you do to increase your water? Try drinking 32 ounces before 10! I challenge myself to do this everyday! I don't always succeed. But I see a huge difference when I do. Drink at least 16 ounces an hour before you workout, and drink 16 ounces when you complete your workout. Carry a water bottle with you wherever you go. We refill our plastic water bottles and keep them in the fridge for a quick grab before heading out the door. Buy a water bottle you love, and refill it throughout the day.

I just got a new water bottle! It's one of those infused water bottles, so I can add fruit to my water. It's awesome! So far, I've tried lemon, lemon and strawberries, lemon and blueberries, strawberries with lime, and a mix of berries. Google recipes, there's so many different options! Plus, they're cute. Win-win!

My new water bottle from Amazon!

Have you got your gallon in today? Better get drinking!

What'd you think of this tip? Want to see more health tips and tricks on Thursdays? Let me know!

21 Day Fix

 

What is the 21 Day Fix? Only the best program I've ever been on. I have tried numerous food programs, and workout programs and none of them stuck. This is both, and I may be biased, but I love it! Beachbody is a great company, they also have P90X, Turbo Fire, Insanity, to name a few. I personally feel like 21 Day Fix is more realistic for an everyday program I know I'll stick with. Once I'm where I want to be, I might try a more intense workout (I've already purchased Body Beast, it's sitting on my shelf!), and there are several workouts I can try when I want to mix it up, too. I have Hip Hop Abs, and I don't love it yet, but I'm sure I will get more into it eventually.

For the 21 Day Fix, you work out for 30 minutes everyday, there's a schedule to follow and you can stream it from your computer, cell phone, or use the DVD's. Anyone can make it through a 30 minute work out! Autumn Calabrese is the trainer, and she is BOSS! I sometimes yell at her while I'm working out, but I really do love her. Point is, the workouts are doable, but still challenging.

You're given portion control containers, and those babies make all the difference! When they showed up at my house, I was like, what is this!? I could eat 12 of each of these! But they fit more food than you would think. Several times I have tried eye balling it, and end up not having enough food, so measuring is so important. You get a guideline for food for each container, and it's got a lot of great foods. You're not going to be starving on this program. My second favorite part? The treat swaps. Yes, you get treats on this program. I love treats.

My favorite part? Shakeology! I love Shakeology for so many reasons. It's aided in my weight loss. There are nutrients that help with mental clarity, which I've needed as a mother of two. It helps curb cravings and helps me feel full longer. My hair and nails are growing so fast, and my skin is clear and has a healthy glow.

There are so many people doing the Fix, I'm still surprised when I find someone else I know who's already doing the it. Subsequently, there are so many resources to help you succeed. Pinterest has recipes galore!

Another way to help you succeed is you're given coach! That's me! Coaches motivate, support, uplift, encourage, and do whatever they can to help their challengers. If you have questions, you don't have to call the company, you message, text, or call your coach. And you're added to a support group, which become like family. There is no such thing as too much support!

Here's a video about the Fix program:

 

If the 21 Day Fix sounds like something you could benefit from, message me! 

Pizza

So I just ate a whole pizza for lunch. By myself. Do I feel guilty? NOPE! Because it was 21 Day Fix approved! Well mostly...

I kept seeing all these people make pizza with these tortillas, and I thought that was a little too weird for me. I don't want pizza that bad. Until I really wanted pizza. Then it didn't sound so crazy. Someone told me about these Flat Out wraps for sandwiches, but you can use them for pizza too. I headed straight to the store, and bought all the fixings for my pizza!  -Yeah right, I have two little kids. It was three different trips to the grocery store looking for all the things I needed, and I was keeping kids from pulling hair, throwing tantrums in the grocery store, and just trying to get my dang ingredients!

Anyway, I can say, I'm pleasantly satisfied. It was good, and I don't feel guilty, that's ALWAYS a plus.

There's so many ways you can make them too! A package comes with 6 wraps, I didn't use much sauce, and with all the clean foods you can have, there are so many options!

Today, I chose to have a pizza similar to a favorite pizza place by us, Stick+Stone. I have no idea what the pizza is called, but it has fresh mozzarella, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, and mushrooms. I'm probably forgetting things, but those are the important ingredients. I don't love mushrooms though, so I left those out.

 I found these wraps at Winco, over by the cheeses and meats on a display. They're probably the smartest thing invented. And okay, my pizza sauce isn't really clean, but it's all about that 80/20 right?

I lined my cookie sheet with foil, because I'm lazy and don't want to scrub it, and I would suggest lightly spraying it with olive oil as well. Add a wrap to your cookie sheet, bake for 2 minutes at 375, and then remove from the oven. Add your toppings, bake for another 5-ish minutes (online it says to bake for 4 minutes or until the cheese is melted, but I like mine a little crispier then it came out). Voila! You've got yourself a yummy pizza!

The wrap is 1 yellow, I used 1/8 of green for the pizza sauce (no added sugars, although I would suggest buying organic), 3/4 blue of mozzarella, 1 orange of olives, and about 1/4 green of artichoke hearts. I'd also count a teaspoon for the oil!  

Other ideas I had for toppings are peppers, spinach (would be really good with mozzarella!), BBQ chicken, buffalo chicken, pineapple, onions, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, eggplant, sardines, ham, avocado,  ground turkey for a taco pizza, and veggie pizza. Let me know what you think, and what kind of pizza you create!

Coaching

 Why did I become a coach?

To be honest, I originally became a coach for the 25% discount. But now, it is my life! Besides my husband, kids, and faith of course!

Last year, I was a coach for another company, and watched my mom lose over 100 pounds. It was one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences I've ever had. I was so proud of her. But her and I both weren't completely on board or agreed with everything the other company and program taught.

Before-shes in the middle

After-Isn't she so cute!?

Once I started losing weight with the 21 Day Fix, I realized I could have so many more experiences like that. I truly want to help others gain the self confidence that I watched my mom regain as she lost her weight. As a coach, you get to be a part of that, and have pride in the people you coach, unlike a family member or friend who are watching that person lose weight.

I become emotionally involved, and want to have my challengers succeed. I want to motivate them, but they also motivate me! Every time I am struggling to get my work out done, I think about how I don't want to let them down. Several times, they'll message me that they've just finished a work out, and I think to my self, "Well I better get off my butt and get going!"

There's an accountability with being a coach. You can't be slacking off and be motivating to others. But you don't have to be perfect either. I am real with my challengers. If I missed a work out, when I have cravings or give into a craving, whatever my struggles are I share them because they could be having the same struggles.

This has been the best job, outside of being a mother, that I've ever had. I love that I am getting paid to be peoples friends, essentially! I also love that I get what I put into it. If I have a lazy week, then I'm not going to get paid as much. But when I work my butt off, I am rewarded. This isn't a get rich quick scheme!

Beachbody has so many programs, and they have even released one since I've become a coach. There is a program out there for every single person, no matter what they want to accomplish.

As a coach, you are part of a team. You can't fail unless you don't try. You have your coach to help you. Her coach, and their coach, and on and on. I was amazed at the amount of resources available to help be a successful coach. Your team become family, and you want to help each other. I will help my coaches, and their coaches. It is such a positive and uplifting feeling being a part of this community.

If you're looking to replace your income or add a second income, message me for more information.

What is Shakeology?

Shakeology is a superfood shake I use to replace one meal a day. This has been such a blessing in my life, specifically right now! I can have it for breakfast, right after a work out, if I'm on the go during the day with the kids, for dinner on busy days when I'm running behind, or for dessert to help curb those crazy, sweet, after dinner cravings. Not only is it a convenient drink, it was designed to be the most nutritious meal of the day. There are so many benefits to shakeology, but the benefits I've noticed in my life are the multiple proteins to help build muscle, lose weight, helps you feel full longer, and increases the health of your hair, nails and skin. This shake has helped keep me regular (which as a person with Celiac Disease, this benefit alone has kept me drinking!). I have more energy, less stress, and better blood pressure.

I've been told that if I was to go and buy all of the ingredients to make this shake myself, I would spend over $700. Not only that, some of these ingredients are from all over the world, and aren't available to us at our grocery stores, or even health food stores.

I love my chocolate shakes! I add peanut butter (PB2), bananas, strawberries, raspberries, whatever my heart desires! I also like greenberry. It's not as versatile, but it still tastes good.

For the most part, I feel great that I am getting these nutrients that I wouldn't be getting had I not been introduced to Shakeology. I truly believe it's the healthiest meal of my day. I love that it's not just a protein shake, and it's not just a smoothie.

There are also so many recipes out there to make chocolate treats (that aren't cheats!!). This is always a major bonus!

When doing more research, I have found that Shakeology can help with heart health, mental clarity (ohhh that's why I can think now!), reduce the risk of type 2 Diabetes, reduce some cancers, support the immune system, and helps increase nutrient absorption. So yes, Shakeology might be a little pricer than your average protein shake you can get at Walmart or Costco, but it has so much more than they have to offer.

What do the doctors have to say about Shakeology?

How can YOU get Shakeology?:
1. You can buy a week's worth of samples to try for $35.
2.  You can buy a Shakeology cleanse for $55 which helps jump start your weight loss or helps break when you've hit a plateau. 
3. You can sign up for Shakeology HD- where you get Shakeology delivered to your door once a month, free shipping! You can cancel anytime, and they stand by a 30 day money back bottom of the bag guarantee, meaning if you aren't happy, they will return your money to you even if the bag is empty! They offer chocolate, chocolate vegan, vanilla, strawberry, tropical strawberry vegan, and greenberry. 

If you're interested in Shakeology, message me for more information.

Try it Tuesday- Turkey Zucchini Burgers

Every Tuesday, I'm going to start sharing a recipe I've tried, what we think of it, and how I made it (I don't always follow recipes as stated before and bellow).

I just want to start with a little warning that I was getting my butt kicked by a cold yesterday, so this food may or may not have tasted good. My husband said it was good, but he’ll eat anything! The true test was my daughter, and she ate her entire burger! I wish I could have tasted it!

I found this recipe on simplecleanfitness.com, but as usually, I scanned the recipes, got the gist of the ingredients, and then did my own thing. This usually makes the recipes simpler, so if you’re looking for a simplified recipe, I’m your girl!

Turkey Zucchini Burgers

1 zucchini (grated)

1 package of ground turkey, 1.25 lbs

½ yellow onion, minced

2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp Italian seasoning

Lettuce

Desired condiments

Mix ingredients in medium bowl (I used my hands). Form fist sized patties once ingredients are well blended. (At this point I put patties in our George Forman, we don’t have a BBQ grill at the moment. It takes about 5 minutes and the light turning off indicates they are done). Barbecue patties on grill, or on stove top in a pan, 5-6 minutes on each side until done. Place desired condiments on top of burger and then wrap in lettuce.

I hate touching meat, so making the patties was the worst part. I may or may not have used an entire package of sanitize wipes last night. 

Disclosure: Okay so I’m not a recipe writer, I’ll get better I promise. I also made sweet potato fries They did get a little crispy, and I didn’t peel them as instructed in her recipe! I also didn't coat them in corn starch. We just washed them, cut them, drizzled coconut oil on them, and then shook a little salt on them. 

Overall it was a pretty easy dinner to make, and my family ate it! We're having the left over burgers for lunch and I'm crossing my fingers I can taste them then! Well I hope you all have a great Tuesday! Checkout my Facebook page (KStoker Fitness) for a giveaway I'm announcing later today!

Motivation Monday- {MY} story

So I have decided to do a Motivation Monday, where I share other peoples stories. I haven't had the chance to ask another person to share their story, and it's Monday already, WHAAAAT!?!?, so you get to hear a more extended version of my story! So here we go! Grab the tissues haha, mostly kidding. I'll probably be the only one crying.

So my story starts when I was born, haha ok I won't go that far back. But I am going to go a little bit farther than when I started 21 Day Fix. September, 2012 I became a mother! I had a scheduled cesarean section (mostly, but that's another story) and met my baby girl for the first time. She was perfect!

Everything seemed perfect for the first few days, until we went home from the hospital. I quickly became overwhelmed and fell into a deep depression. She wasn't latching and I was very convinced I wanted to breast feed. This became the first problem that seemed to effect my daughter's and my relationship. I had also gained 70 pounds while I was pregnant. I was stuck at home, a tiny apartment in a tiny town, with a newborn, feeling very overweight and unhappy. The first week my husband stayed home, and it helped, but he got stir crazy and left frequently. The next week, my mom came and stayed with me. The day she left, I bawled like a baby. The next day, I made the short drive to her house and stayed with her for about a month, until my husband decided we would move into their house. We lived there, and I got help with my daughter the first year of her life. I still was depressed and refused help. I lost all the weight by the time she was 18 months. (This is yet another long story, but the point is that I was frustrated that my goal of losing all the weight by the time she was 1 didn't happen.)

Around the time she hit 18 months, I finally felt like myself again, mostly because I was back to pregnancy weight, and all the hormonal stuff had gone away once I was done nursing when she was 13 months. And then, SURPRISE! I found out I was pregnant again. I never thought I would be upset about that, but I was. I cried. I was resentful. And I was scared. I didn't want to go through all of that all over again. So I made plans. I walked 4 miles a day, every day. I prayed I would be happy about another baby. I worked really hard and being happy and positive. I made the most out of my time with just my daughter because I knew things were going to change. I only gained 30 pounds with my second pregnancy.

October 2014, I had my baby boy. He was a BIG boy.

He was nearly 3 pounds heavier than my first. A lot of the issues I had with her, weren't there with him because he was so healthy. He latched on immediately. He slept through the night within his first week of life. I was so happy!

Things actually seemed great for the first few months. He was such a happy, easy baby. My daughter, being only 2, was great with him, and only had jealousy issues here and there. Weight was slowly coming off. I finally hit a plateau when I had 10 pounds of baby weight left. But I was positive I could get it off!

Then, in February, my world got flipped upside down. My brother took his own life one morning, I was the last person he contacted. I felt guilty, and like there was something I could have done differently. I was sad and crushed, and everything just felt so surreal.

I quickly became severely depressed. I couldn't function, couldn't care for my kids without help. I became snappy at my husband. My husband and mom gained up on me and made me go in and get on Zoloft, wow that's hard to share! It seemed to help at first, but I soon started to feel like it wasn't helping enough. 

Then a good friend, and my coach, told me about 21 Day Fix and Shakeology. It took some convincing, and then I tried it. My first week, I felt like my life took a 180. I had energy to clean my house AFTER my 30 minute work out. I stopped being so snappy at my husband and could communicate again without getting defensive. I started playing with my kids again. And my body started changing.

My first round, I lost 7 pounds. I lost even more inches, but I didn't measure (so angry at myself!!)

My second round, I quickly reached my pre-pregnancy weight and was so excited to keep going! I lost more than 12 inches all over my body. I got fit and started seeing definition in my stomach, something I never thought I'd see after my c-section. My arms got thinner, my legs were smaller and stronger. I started loving my body and not just because of how it looked, but because of what it could do!

I'm just finishing my 3rd round, and I think I can safely say this is a program I can do for the rest of my life. I am going to add in other Beachbody programs (Body Beast, Cize, Hip hop abs, whatever I feel like in the moment) to challenge myself, but I will always use the 21 Day fix eating program, either for losing weight or maintenance. Eating clean is such an important thing for our bodies. We deserve to eat better. Eating healthier doesn't have to be bland. I am never starving, I feel like I'm always eating. I love food. 

I hope that my story motivates and inspires you. I'm just a stay at home mom, I play with my kids all day. I make time for ME by working out 30 minutes a day. And I feed my family healthy, delicious food. This is my story. 

Quinoa Stir-fry

Our Favorite quinoa recipe was partially stolen from a friend we stayed with last summer. She made a version of this for us for breakfast. We were just starting to try out clean eating, and didn't really have much of an idea of what we were doing, so we would mostly just make clean dinners, and eat how we had been eating the rest of the day. Small steps I guess.

Anyway, when we came back home, I tried to replicate her recipe but add my own twist, how I usually make anything, and ended up liking it better (sorry, you know who you are! Love you!)

So here's our recipe!

Quinoa Stir-Fry
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
4 eggs
asparagus (or other vegetable)
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
salt and pepper to taste

Cook quinoa in rice cooker with water. Steam asparagus. Scramble egg with minced onion. Stir in asparagus and quinoa. Add salt and pepper.
Makes 2 servings (for the Fix, you would get more than 2 yellows here, we account for sharing with our kids)

Obviously I'm not a master recipe maker. But this is how we make it. You can get more adventurous than us and try fresh onions, peppers, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, the possibilities are endless.

Even our two year old eats this. She's pretty picky, she's been our biggest challenge to making our entire home completely clean. But she'll eat this. It's not super gourmet, but we would cook it for guests. Add some fresh fruit, a green salad, and BAM! You got one healthy dinner. Enjoy!