Squat It Out

I am so excited about my FREE fitness group this month! Typically I do free clean eating groups but this month I wanted to spice it up a little and what better way to do that than with SQUATS?!?!

Each day I will post a workout involving squats. I will provide a nutrition guide and meal plan to help you stay on track all week as well. The group is all about supporting one another and providing some motivation to start (or keep going) your fitness journey. 

 I'll be giving away a FREE Brazil Butt Lift Program at the end of the week. The winner will be chosen based on a point system (posted in the group). The more active you are in the group, the more points you get!

What do you have to lose? Some fun workouts, free meal plan and nutrition guide PLUS a chance to win a workout program....you can't pass this opportunity up! All you need to do is head over to the link below and join the group. The fun begins on Monday, September 28th!

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/1495631614064576/

This group is going to be so much fun and I can't wait to get started! XoXo

Why Military Spouses Make Perfect Beachbody Coaches!

As an U.S Army Veteran and now an Air Force wife I understand what it's like to be the one holding the fort down while your spouse is working late hours, working odd shifts or even deployed. Those days that the school or daycare calls to say your child is sick...you are the one leaving work to go pick them up because your job is the expendable one. You are the one taking time off work until your child is well enough to go back to school/daycare. I've been there! When we had our daughters, my husband was an instructor at a leadership school....there was no leaving work for him. If he was teaching then he was almost unreachable for a good 12 hours a day. I know that he never felt good about putting it all on me but I also knew that he enjoys his job and I was aware of what I was signing up for when I became his wife. That doesn't make it easier to know that my needs end up taking second place to the duties I have being a military spouse. Here's the good news though....YOU CAN CHANGE THAT!

Finding balance has been a big aspect of my life lately. Between family, health, school and volunteering....income and and ME time got moved to the back of the line. I knew it was time to find some balance so I figured out ways to take control of each aspect of my life. Once I started using Focus T25 to gain control over my health and losing the 50 pounds of baby weight hanging around from my second pregnancy, I started to realize that it was also giving me the ME time that I so desperately wanted and needed. Then something very unexpected happened...I became a stay at home mom with no income! About 6 or 7 months after becoming a stay at home mom I became a Beachbody coach and that has not only helped me maintain control over my health but it's helped me gain control over my income, school and allows me the time for my family as well as volunteering. 

I know that you would probably love to take control of your life as well. How much would an extra income help your family? Well it's absolutely possible and it's possible by being a Beachbody coach. 

Here are a few reasons why you, as a military spouse, would make a perfect Beachbody coach:

The business moves with you!

Moving every 2-3 years is nothing new to us. With that move comes you quitting your job OR you just don't work because by the time you start a job you only have a year of settling in until you are due for the next PCS orders. That makes it very hard for us as spouses to have careers. Forget about a retirement! We put our careers on the back burner so that our spouse is able to serve our country proudly and we are there to hold the fort down. Well Beachbody coaching is a business that you build NO MATTER where you are! I mean I live in Belgium and my business has moved from good ol' Georgia all the way here to Belgium. You don't have to quit just because it's PCS time. That actually expands your business because you are connecting with so many MORE people! I spend 30 days on vacation just before our PCS overseas and then a month in TLF and guess what....my business didn't suffer at all! If I have internet then I can work. That can be you too!

Providing encouragement is the "norm" to us!

It's nothing new to us military spouses to be there to provide encouragement to another spouse. Think about all those times you were there for that spouse while their husband was deployed. We are able to jump right in there and find the positive in the situation....help lift their spirits and get them through that difficult time. This will help you as a Beachbody coach when you a have a challenger that is struggling in their journey. It could be fitness, nutrition or even just life in general and they will look to you for encouragement and support. You will be able to provide that for them...it's the "norm" for you.

We are probably the most organized people around!

Like I said before, we are the ones who hold the fort down. We get the kids out the door and to school on time, we make the dinners, we get the kids to practices and clean the house....we take care of it all! We couldn't do it if we weren't organized. I believe that this organization also comes with the more time you have been a part of the military lifestyle. The more PCS moves you have been through, the more organized you become. Let's be honest...how many of us make lists....I mean like every day lists so that we make sure it all gets done?!?! It wouldn't be a huge deal to add a few things to that list for 1-2 hours of work to not only build yourself a business but to help others build one as well! We can take care of the kids, the house, a husband on deployment and even work (for some of you)....I'm positive you can manage a Beachbody business as well.

We have a strong sense of community!

Let's face it...we love our family but majority of the time we are so far from them due to our spouse's duty location. We have learned that our closest family is other military members and spouses. We build a community around the families our spouse serves with. We cherish those friendships and grow them even when we have both PCS'd to different states or countries. I have friends that I consider family that live in Arizona, North Dakota, Ohio, Italy, Germany....the list goes on and on. And when we do move to a new base then our friends are more than willing to connect us with anyone they know at that base. We have a military community, a military family really. That becomes true with Beachbody as well. We get to connect ourselves with so many amazing people around the United States, Canada and overseas bases! We share a common interest of helping others live healthier lives. We aren't sales people....making calls and asking them to buy from us...all we do is share our experiences with the products that we use...the people come to us! Since you already have a strong community that trusts you and your opinion you will have a great experience with this.

It's FREE for us!

For any active duty member, active duty spouse or a veteran it is totally free to be a coach. Beachbody waives all of the fees to not only become a coach but also the monthly coaching fee! That's right, you get to become a coach for free and start making an income! PLUS, you get a discount on all products as a coach. The typical sign up fee for coaching is $39.95 which will be reimbursed to you once you submit your paperwork (military orders with your name on them or DD214). Then after you submit your paperwork the normal $15.95 monthly coaching fee is waived as well. So here's the deal:

~ You will get 25% off of all Beachbody products, to include your Shakeology.

~ You will be reimbursed the $39.95 enrollment fee once you submit the appropriate paperwork.

~ You will not pay the $15.95 monthly business fee.

So you get all these benefits and all you need to do is maintain your monthly Shakeology order. Now, if you don't know about Shakeology then you are MISSING OUT! It is seriously an amazing product that my husband, my kids and I drink daily. If you have questions about it then please email me and I can tell you all about it. 

Beachbody coaching has seriously changed my life. By doing just a few daily behaviors (we call them the vital behaviors) I have been able to build a business that provides my family an extra while I am still able to keep our home running smoothly. I can grow my business as fast or as slowly as I would like and I am able to base that around what is going on with my husband's career or even what is going on with my kids. I get to take a day off if my kids are sick and now worry about whether or not my boss will be mad....I AM MY OWN BOSS! Today is the perfect example of just that. My oldest daughter is home sick and we are probably going to have to take her to the doctor. Meanwhile there are some important events taking place at work that my husband can't miss and that's okay! I can not only take my daughter but I can put her to bed after giving her medicine and lots of love then come downstairs and get to work. My hours are set by me! It's an amazing opportunity that I am so grateful for!

You may be wondering if this is really going to be right for you and I totally understand that so I put together a little 5 day sneak peek onto what Beachbody coaching is all about. The group will start on 25 September and is a Facebook group. All you need to do to join is head to this link below and request to join the group. Once you have done that then on 25 September I will post daily information about what coaching is all about. It's totally free! 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/901866886546537/

I hope you join us! XoXo

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos

When you make that dinner and your husband looks at you and says "please make this again"! I count that as a WIN...and it's super simple! 

Chipotle Shrimp:

~ 1 lb shrimp (I used peeled, de-veined shrimp)
~ 1-2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (depending on how spicy you prefer it)
~ 1 teaspoon chili powder
~ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
~ 4 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:
Mix together the ingredients above in a ziploc bag then add shrimp and toss. Ensure all the shrimp are well coated then place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

After marinating, saute the shrimp until fully cooked then make your taco and enjoy!

We used whole wheat tortillas, homemade salsa, cheese and quinoa in our tacos. DELISH!

Your Mental Approach to Eating Better

It's no secret that MANY people are trying to eat better and lose a few pounds. I know that during the Summer months, while the kids are home from school, can be rough. The food in your house is always what they want since they don't have school making their lunches and then there is always the family vacations just in case you needed any more help falling off track. So I've put together a few key tips that will help you stick to a healthier way of eating.

1. The turtle wins the race!

Diet & exercise is always started with the most determination and the best intentions. We just Dive right in and try to do it all. We think we have to do it all at once and there are no other options. That isn't true. You end up overwhelmed and frustrated if you do that. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Just like when you are training for a marathon...you should start small. Make 1 or 2 changes a week and eventually you will build up to that distance. A couple changes a week means that within a month you have made significant progress yet haven't felt overwhelmed by everything changing all at once.

2. Plan it out!

This is a very important step in order to succeed with changing your lifestyle. You never want to put yourself in the position of not knowing what to eat while you are still learning and making this healthier lifestyle a habit. If you haven't planned it then you will end up grabbing whatever is "quick & easy". You don't want to do that! Compile a list of the healthy foods that you do enjoy, make another list of foods that travel well so that you can take them to work or you can have them while your kid is at soccer practice. You know your schedule better than anyone, therefore you know what will work for you meal wise. I can't stress to you how important it is to plan it out. If you need tips on how to plan your meals then please check out My 5 Step Meal Planning. Always remember that if you fail to plan then you plan to fail!

3. Set realistic goals!

The goals you set not only need to be realistic but they need to be focused. What I mean by that is you want to set goals that have to do with your nutrition and/or weight loss. I say weight loss because if you want to lose weight then you and you know that specific goal then you can plan your nutrition to help you achieve that goal. I also recommend that you stick to just you as the focus. I know initially my goals were for me to eat better along with my family. In turn my focus was on my family and their eating habits as opposed to focusing on myself which was the journey I was supposed to be on. Once you start achieving YOUR goals then you can incorporate your family as well. What you may also want to do with each of your goals is to write down WHY you want to reach that goal. I know that going back to my why is what always motivates me to stay on track. Once you have your goals then write them somewhere that you see daily and as you achieve them...check it off! I have an awesome post about how to set smart goals which you can read here.

4. Make sure it works for you!

Like I said earlier, you are the only one who knows your schedule and what will work best for you. You need to ensure when you set up your guidelines that you are being realistic. This plan is YOUR plan and it needs to work for you and your day to day routine. You don't want to have to scramble at the last minute to try and find a healthy option because you didn't factor in your schedule while planning. You also need to ensure you are falling within your budget guidelines. Utilize recipes and produce that is IN SEASON! That will help you a lot because we all know that a $10 watermelon just isn't worth it when I can buy a couple dollar bag of fresh apples. You can also utilize the farmer's markets. This isn't going to be some super easy thing...you will have to work for it and you won't be perfect!

5. Stay consistent!

Your planning process is what will help you in this area. If you take the time to plan then you really should not have any issues being consistent. I do recommend that you try to eat around the same time each day. The easiest way I have found that works for me is to set an alarm on my phone to go off. I know some of you are probably saying that you won't forget to eat but we all get busy and you really should be eating every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Those hours pass very quickly when you are at work or dealing with your kids. That alarm on your phone will remind you it's time to eat and since you already planned it out then it's a matter of grabbing it and either warming it up (if you prep) or fixing it quickly. Once your body realizes that you are consistently feeding it every 3 or so hours and you are feeding it with healthy foods, you metabolism will stay engaged and and you will see an increase in energy. 

6. You have to be flexible!

 Life happens! Things come up and your plan has to change. That is okay! If you know you have an event coming up then incorporate it into your plan. I always have a protein bar or two in my purse for those spur of the moment events. If you are dining out then check out my Dining Out Without A Doubt post. It's really important that you get familiar with nutrition so that you have the knowledge to help you understand what is compatible with your plan. You don't have to take a college course or anything though....just buy a few books, read magazines, heck...google it! Flexibility is key to making this change.

7. Enjoy the journey, don't focus on the destination! 

You can have a lot of fun on this journey! A big part of the fun for me is finding at least one new recipe each week to try out. Some are great and others are total failures but hey...it keeps life interesting! You can also turn it into a fun little competition. My sister and I are notorious for this! If you don't enjoy the journey and are only focused on the destination then you will miss out on all the smaller accomplishments and those are worth celebrating! You don't want to miss out on them!

8. Make it a habit!

It takes 21 days to make or break a habit. So commit to at least a month! After that month, everything that seemed so hard to start with will now start to feel a lot easier. You will make better choices without even having to think about it.

9. Know you will have setbacks...turn them into a comeback!

You will not be perfect at this! I repeat, you will not be perfect at this! I know that is hard for those of you like me who are perfectionist. It's okay...and expected that you will have slip ups. You may miss some meals, you may end up having a couple of days that are full of "cheat meals". You are not the first person and you will not be the last person to do it! What's important is that after those setbacks, you get back up and pick back up with your plan to get you to your goals. Don't be hard on yourself! Turn your setback into your comeback!!!!

10. Reward yourself, just not with food!

This is my favorite part! As you reach your goals and you accomplish the things you want then reward yourself. It could be something as small as that new nail polish you want, a manicure, a massage....whatever you choose as long as it's NOT FOOD! You are not an animal therefore don't reward yourself with a treat. I like to set these rewards along with my goals. For example, let's say you have a goal to lose 20 pounds. At 5 pounds lost you get that nail polish you have been wanting. At 10 pounds lost you get to buy a new workout outfit. At 15 pounds lost you go get a massage. Then at your final goal of 20 pounds lost you go get 5 new outfits (or a new wardrobe LOL). That will definitely up your motivation to reach those goals!

11. Keep going!

This is where you need to keep pushing yourself and keep making new goals as you accomplish the ones you previously set. I know you have a long term goal so set small, doable steps so that you aren't overwhelmed. No matter what....just keep at it. KEEP GOING!