New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year's Eve!  We are less than an hour away from the New Year here in NC and I couldn't be more excited for the new year!  2014 was a very good year.  I joined a play group and made several new mommy friends. I had the privilege of watching my baby girl grow into a beautiful, smart, and happy toddler. Our dog, Colby, earned 2 agility titles and over half of the points he needs for his Champion title.  I started my new carrier as a Beachbody coach, and I love it!  As awesome as 2014 has been, 2015 is going to be even better. I can feel it!

Do you take part in the tradition of New Year's Resolutions?  I have off and on throughout the years, and I feel like the years in which I write out and share my resolutions are the years in which I accomplish the most.  I did not make resolutions last year, and while it was a great year, I feel like I could have accomplished more.  This year, I'm going to start the year with a laser focus on my goals, which will be lofty, and see how far I can go!

My resolutions this year are a mix of personal and professional. Here they are:

(1) Lose the last 7 pounds of baby weight plus 10 more pounds.
(2) Read 12 personal development books during the year. (1 per month)
(3) Start each day with 3 gratitudes so that every day starts in a positive way.
(4) Help at least 10 people lose at least 20 pounds.
(5) Become a 2015 Premier Beachbody Coach

What are your goals for 2015?  Have you made any yet? Quick! There's still time. 15 minutes til midnight here on the East Coast!  Start your year off in a focused way and I bet you will accomplish more for yourself and for others than you ever have before. Bring it on 2015, we're ready for you!

TurboFire: First Week Recap

Wow! This week has been absolutely crazy!  I feel like I need a weekend to recover from my weekend! Do any of you feel that way?  In hindsight, starting a brand new program the week of Christmas might not have been my best idea, but I'm kinda glad I did because it gave me a strong reason to make good decisions amidst the holiday temptations.  I was doing great Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday was supposed to be my rest day, but I was planning on doing Thursday's workout so that my rest day was on Christmas. Between last minute shopping, wrapping, and cooking, that didn't happen! Christmas was a jam packed day, of course, but so much fun!  I got back on track Friday, but wasn't feeling well yesterday or most of today. Ugh... what a week!  Highs, lows, and everything in between!  

I'm feeling better tonight, and ready to get back into it tomorrow, so I've decided to redo Week 1 of TurboFire.  I'm a completionist type of person. Type A all the way, so I wouldn't feel right just pushing forward, having missed half of my first week's workouts.  Even though I will be going back and re-doing week 1, I wanted to give you a review of the workouts I did complete: Fire 30, Stretch 10, and HIIT 15.

Fire 30:  This workout got me sweating!  There is an option when you start the workout to choose "new to class" where Chalene breaks down the sequences you will be doing in the workout.  I chose not to do the breakdown and just jump in trial by fire style.  I have a dance fitness background (was a Zumba instructor) and, though there was a learning curve for me during the workout, I feel like the sequences were easy to pick-up and you repeat them enough times to get them down pretty well.  Lots of punches, and some limited jumping. There are a few sets of burpees that took me by surprise, but they are totally doable!  All in all, I enjoyed this workout! My "punching" muscles were VERY sore the next couple days (the front of my shoulders and where my biceps meet my elbows).

Stretch10: This was an EXCELLENT stretch series! You do this same stretch workout after Fire 30 and HIIT 15.  It is very thorough, hits all the major muscle groups and relaxes tension in your neck and shoulders.  Highly Recommend!

HIIT 15:  I have to say, I had never experienced a HIIT workout before putting in this dvd, so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect.  My husband joined me for this workout, because as he said, "its only 15 minutes".  Haha, ONLY 15 minutes!  In that 15 minutes you complete a quick warm up and then 3 sets of 3 different HIIT Intervals that last about 45 seconds each, with a short break in between each interval.  There is a lot of jumping during this workout, so if you have weak knees, follow the modifier. I promise, you will still get a great workout!  I really wish my heart rate monitor was working so I could have measured the calories I burned during this workout, because I bet it was a ton.  My heart rate felt like it maxed out several times during the workout, and I could tell my metabolism remained high for a long time after my workout.  Even my husband remarked how hot he was temperature-wise several hours after we worked out. Higher temp = higher metabolism!  All in all, a good workout, and super short!

I am very much looking forward to tomorrow.  Here's to a fresh start in a brand new week! My clean eating challenge starts tomorrow and Week 1 Day 1, take 2 of TurboFire is going down.  Now I'm off to bed, so I can get up and get my workout in before the kiddo gets up! Night everyone!      

Clean Eating

Well, its the day after Christmas, and I don't know about you, but I allowed myself a cheat day yesterday, and I'm feeling kinda sluggish today.  I have been pounding out the water today to rehydrate and help flush out all the excess salt from yesterday's indulgences, and I'm starting to feel better!  After all the heavy food yesterday, I was just craving a salad, something light and clean to fuel my body.  Do you ever just crave something healthy after a cheat meal/day?  I have the feeling that I'm not alone in this, so I am going to host a 5-day Clean Eating Challenge Group that starts on Monday, December 29th.  I wanted anyone and everyone who needs a holiday detox or wants to know more about clean eating to be able to participate in this group, so I made it FREE and open to everyone! Join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/317084685161986

I took yesterday completely off, so that I could celebrate Christmas with my little family with no distractions.  The only time I had my phone on me was to take pictures of my little girl enjoying her new toys.  It felt really good to unplug for a day, but today I woke up pumped and ready to get back at it! I've got the Clean Eating Group starting Monday, a Beachbody Challenge Group starting the following Monday, January 5th, and I'm planning out our free monthly fit challenge too!

Tonight, I was researching clean eating "rules" and found a wide variety out there.  Some guidelines were super strict, others were labelled "for beginners".  I took all of what I found and created a list of 10 guidelines that we will be following in our 5-day challenge:

Tomorrow I will be finalizing our Meal Plan and Grocery List and posting it to the group. There is still time to join us.  We would love to have you! Click on the link provided above and join! 

If you are interested in participating in one of my future challenge groups, please fill out the form below: 

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The December Challenge Group Results are in!

Happy Tuesday y'all!  Tomorrow is Christmas Eve! Can you believe it? This month has absolutely flown by.  I really feel like since I had my daughter, time passes so much more quickly than it did before.  Or maybe it's just a sign I'm getting older. Either way,  this month has gone crazy fast!  

My 21-Day Challenge Group finished up on Sunday, and my ladies did AMAZING!  Even with the craziness of the holidays, everyone lost pounds and inches and are going into the holiday healthier and stronger!  We had a great time and will be taking a super short break for Christmas and then the next Challenge group will start just after the first of the year!  I am having so much fun coaching my challengers.  Being a coach is such a rewarding job! I've gotten some great feedback from my challengers lately that has me smiling from ear to ear and totally jazzed up for the New Year!  We've got great things in store for January, February, and March so stay tuned!

Today was Day 2 of TurboFire. I am so sore!  Yesterday I completed Fire 30 and today was my first ever HIIT workout, HIIT 15.  Have you ever done a HIIT workout? HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training.  It's the type of workout where you go as hard as you can for a short period of time (in this case it was 30-45 seconds), take a short break, and then repeat.  It's a really effective way to workout, but should be used in moderation. You've got to make sure to allow enough time in between HIIT workouts to let your body recover, so you don't injure yourself.  A HIIT workout, when done correctly, creates, what Chalene Johnson calls, the afterburn effect.  What she means is that HIIT workouts significantly increase your metabolism in a short period of time and then your body maintains that higher metabolism for a longer time after your workout than in a normal cardio session.  An increased metabolism equals more calories burned every minute, and we all know we've got to burn more calories than we are consuming to lose weight.

My Polar heart rate monitor bit the dust yesterday, I've been looking for a new activity tracker for awhile -- one that I can wear 24/7 and tracks everything, including my sleep.  I was hoping to get one for Christmas, but I think I want to go with the new FitBit that's coming out after the first of the year, the Charge HR.  I've never fully understood how the activity trackers, including all the previous FitBits could be accurate without monitoring your heartrate, so I was really excited to see that the new FitBit was going to incorporate a heart rate monitor (using your wrist, so no annoying band around your chest!).  What activity tracker do you all use?  I'd be interested to hear what you like and don't like about the different options out there!

 

Recipe: Stuffed Zucchini

Evening everyone!  I hope you all have had a fantastic weekend.  Our's was absolutely crazy!  Lots of shopping and other errands, but I've got to say the highlight of my weekend, or not so much, was being one of approximately a million people standing in line at the post office Saturday morning trying to get our last packages out in time for Christmas!  Not my proudest moment, but everyone in line had the wonderful opportunity to be entertained my by toddler daughter, Hadley.  It was an experience for sure!  I think I can finally say we are ready for Christmas in the Hope Household, and I hope all of you can say the same!

Right now, I am curled up on the couch in front of the fire, watching Sunday Night Football. Go Seahawks!  What a great way to end a weekend! Before I head off to bed (Gotta get up early for my first day of TurboFire!), I wanted to share a recipe that I made today for lunch, stuffed Zucchini.  Both yellow squash and zucchini have been on sale the last couple weeks at the grocery store, and since we buy based on what's on sale, we have been consuming A LOT of squash recently.  I was looking for some new ways to enjoy this veggie and came across numerous recipes for stuffed zucchini.  After looking in the fridge to find some stuffing ingredients, I decided to do a Mexican style stuffed zucchini.  I think it turned out pretty good! Here is the recipe:

Stuffed Zuchinni

Yes, I know I need to work on my food photos, but don't let the pic fool you, they were awesome!

Ingredients

3 zucchini, cut in half length-wise
1 pound of ground turkey
half of a yellow onion, diced
1 cup of water
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
spices: cumin, mexican chili pepper, paprika, salt, pepper (to taste)

Directions

(1) Put ground turkey and diced onion in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Brown turkey.
(2) While turkey is browning, use a spoon to hollow out the zucchini, removing all seeds.  Also cut the stem and base off of each zucchini half.
(3) Set oven to 400 degrees.
(4) Once turkey has browned and onions are translucent, add 1 cup of water and seasoning to taste. (I used approximately 1tsp cumin and chili pepper, 1/2tsp paprika and black pepper, pinch of salt).  Stir to evenly coat turkey.  Lower heat to simmer, and reduce liquid (about 5 minutes).
(5) Once liquid has evaporate, spoon turkey into zucchini.  Bake in oven for 30 minutes.
(6) Sprinkle cheese on top of turkey and place back in the oven until melted (2-3 minutes).
(7) Enjoy!  

Unboxing TurboFire

I am so excited to be starting a new program on Monday, TurboFire.  I've been doing 21 Day Fix first on my own back in October, and then with a couple of challenge groups.  It's a highly effective program, easy to maintain, and I've gotten great results, but I'm a bit of a program hopper.  I like to do a program start to finish, and then move on to another program.  It helps keep my motivation up and keeps me focused.  I could tell my motivation was starting to decline the last couple weeks.  It could be the holidays, or it could be that I'm just ready for something new.  I'm ready to change my routine up, and I figure, since I start my day with a workout, the easiest way to mix things up would be for me to start a new program!  

I could have waited until the new year to start a new program, but I've got a couple of great challenge groups all starting at the end of December and beginning of January, so I wanted to have my new routine down before my groups start. That way I can devote much more focus to my challengers and help them get started towards their own fitness goals.  I also have a big Beachbody Coaching event coming up in 3 weeks called Super Saturday. This will be my first time going to a coach event, and I want to look my absolute best.  My goal is to lose the last 7 pounds I need to lose to get back to my pre-baby weight.

As far as my eating plan goes, TurboFire provides an eating guide, but I will be sticking to the 21 Day Fix eating plan.  It's so easy to follow, and the balance of macros is spot on for what my body needs. The TurboFire eating plan looks awesome, and I'm sure it would give me great results too, but I'm not going to change my whole eating plan just yet.  I will revisit the idea of switching eating plans after the holiday craziness dies down.  

Tonight, I unboxed my TurboFire and took a look at all the program goodies.  I love, love, LOVE getting into a new fitness program, and I wanted to share the experience with you!

So when you get your TurboFire program in the mail it looks like this:

Then you open it up and see a stack of program materials:

When you unwrap the stack of printed materials, you will see that you have been provided a workout schedule, a program overview that explains how the program is designed, the science behind HIIT, and how to maximize your results, the eating plan (with recipes!), and a special 5-day Inferno plan (a specialized 5-day strict eating plan designed to accelerate your results).  

Underneath the printed materials is your set of workout DVDs.  There are 11 DVD's in the base kit of this program.  There are also open sleeves for the 5 advanced workout DVD's should you choose to buy them as well.  I may just have to do that after I complete my first round!

You also receive some equipment. No need to go out and buy your own!  You get a measuring tape to track all the inches you will be losing, a resistance band and set of resistance band handles, and a sculpting band to use during leg and bun sculpting workouts.  I don't know if you have ever used one of these bands, but I have.  They look so innocent until you use them in a workout. Then it's like your buns are on FIYAH!

Tomorrow I will dig deeper into the program materials and get myself set up for Monday, Day 1 of TurboFire!  I will be documenting my weekly progress with this program on my blog.  I'm so ready!

You Are What You Eat!

I'm sure you've heard the saying "You are what you eat". You've probably heard it so many times that it's lost all meaning to you.  

I know I didn't put much stock into that saying for a very long time. It wasn't until I started to clean up my eating habits that I realized that this over-used saying holds true.  It goes right along with the saying "eat like crap, feel like crap". Something I am experiencing today. 

I'm going to be real with y'all and confess that I've slipped up here and there during the last couple weeks for various reasons and those slip ups are starting to add up.  Today, I woke up feeling, well for lack of a better description, like crap.  I know it's because I've been consuming too much processed, carb-y/sugary foods.  Christmas is about a week away, and I know that I will be faced with many more temptations and opportunities to stray from my eating plan.  I will be doing my best to get through the holidays with as little indulgence as possible, taking it one day at a time.  I know I'm not alone in this food struggle this time of year, so I wanted to share with you that you are not alone and offer up an opportunity to start fresh after Christmas.  

To get myself back on track and to help anyone interested in starting on their New Year's Resolutions early, I will be hosting a FREE 5-day Clean Eating Challenge.  I will be providing you with a 5-day clean eating menu, grocery list, and recipes, along with daily motivation and encouragement.  We will all commit to eating as clean as possible, exercising daily, and check-in with the group for accountability. For people who want to take their eating plan a step further, I will also be offering up a 5-day supply of Shakeology for $20 with your choice of flavors.  This would be a great opportunity to try different flavors before you purchase a month supply!  Shakeology, while encouraged because it is AWESOME, is completely optional.  The group itself is totally free!

Interested in joining us? Fill out the form below!

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Small Changes Can Lead to Huge Results

I am running a free 30-day December fitness challenge and one of my challengers shared that she had lost 7 pounds so far this month.  It's a push-up challenge, and she shared that in addition to the push-up set that we do each day, she also cut out soda from her diet.  Now keep in mind that today is December 15th. We are just now half-way through the month and she has already lost 7 pounds!  This got me thinking about how one small step, one small change, can, day after day, lead to huge results.  

I wondered, what would cutting just one can of soda out of your daily diet look like after a year? Well, I did the math.  A can of Coke has 140 calories.  Assuming you cut out just one can per day, everyday, for one year, you would be cutting 51,100 calories from your diet in a year, or approximately 14.6 pounds.  14.6  pounds! What would you be willing to sacrifice to lose 14 pounds? Probably a lot more than just one can of soda.  This really got me thinking, what other small daily choices could you make that would, over the course of a year, create huge results.  I could have kept researching on this topic for days.  There are so many small choices we make in our daily life that involve our health and fitness.  Here are just a few to get you thinking:

I already shared with you that cutting one can of soda out of your day can lead to a 14.6 pound loss over the course of the year.  Not a soda drinker? What about coffee?  Let's take a Starbucks mocha. Assuming you drink a coffee on the way to work every weekday, if you switch that mocha for a skinny mocha, 5 times per week, that equates to 49,400 calories over the course of a year, or just over 14 pounds a year.  If you drink both coffee and soda, now we are talking about 28 pounds in a year by just making 2 simple choices.

I researched a few food options too.  I'm a huge fan of potatoes, in all forms, but I recently started to switch out my potatoes for cauliflower once in a while, so I wondered.  If I switched out mashed potatoes for mashed cauliflower (which tastes just about as awesome) just once a week, that can lead to a 1 pound loss per year.  By switching out pasta for spaghetti squash twice a month, you could also lose 1 pound in a year. That may not sound like much, but that is assuming you change nothing else about your lifestyle. Just think about the results you could have if you also added a little bit of exercise?  I looked that up too! Taking a 30-minute walk everyday could result in a 20 pound loss in a year.  

I was surprised to learn that there was a calorie difference between regular beef and grass-fed beef.  Did you know that a grass-fed 6oz fillet has 92 less calories than a corn-fed fillet? We usually eat red meat once a week, making a switch to grass-fed would be another 1 pound loss in a year.  See how this is starting to add up?

How many of you measure out your salad dressing using a measuring spoon?  You are definitely saving on calories by choosing to measure instead of eye-balling your servings, but did you know that by using a dressing spritzer, you would use even less dressing?  I eat salads almost everyday, but I calculated the potential calorie savings based on eating salads 3 times per week.  By using a spritzer, you could be saving yourself 6 pounds worth of calories per year!

One final small choice I would suggest would be to keep a food journal.  

My Fitness Pal is an excellent phone app you can use.  The act of righting down your food can help influence you to make different food choices. In one study that I read two groups of participants were following an exercise and eating plan. The participants who kept a food diary had an average weight loss of 26 pounds more than the participants who did not record their meals.

Take a look at your lifestyle.  Do you have any habits that you could modify to improve your health?  Pick just one habit to change and make the decision to change it!  Focus on maintaining this one small change for at least a month, and then, if you are ready, change another habit.  Take these small changes day by day and soon you will see the results you want!    

Recipe: Mexican Chicken and Quinoa

Happy Hump Day people!  I wanted to share a recipe with you that we tried for dinner last night that was an absolute hit -- Mexican Chicken and Quinoa.  It is adapted from a recipe I found on Pinterest called One Pan Mexican Quinoa by damndelicious.net.  This meal is packed with protein, and best of all, it is all cooked in one pan, so there's very little clean up!

The original recipe calls for black beans, but I substituted chicken instead (we are not a fan of beans).  I also was limited to what we had in the pantry, so I will show you where you can make this meal even healthier than I made it. Instead of canned corn, frozen would cut down on the sodium.  For the tomatoes, choose either reduced sodium canned, or dice fresh tomatoes.  Rotel is kind of high in sodium, but has great flavor, if you use Rotel, like I did, I've included a trick in the directions that uses a celery stock to remove some of the excess salt from the dish.

Mexican Chicken and Quinoa

Ingredients
- coconut oil spray
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno, diced
- 2-3 chicken breasts cut into thirds
- can of corn (or 1 cup frozen corn)
- can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained (or can of Rotel)
- 1 cup of quinoa
- 1 cup of reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp of cumin 
- 1 tsp mexican chili powder

Directions
(1) Spray a large, deep skillet with coconut oil to coat the pan.

(2) Add garlic and jalapeno, saute about a minute or until fragrant (garlic will start to show color).
(3) Add in chicken breast and brown on both sides. Season with cumin and chili power to taste on each side.
(4)Once chicken has been seared off, add corn, tomatoes, quinoa, chicken stock, cumin, and chili power. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Allow to cook, covered for 20 minutes.  **To reduce salt content, throw in a stick of celery cut in half, remove before serving**

(5) Uncover, remove chicken and shred it, put back into pan
(6) If liquid remains, cook uncovered for an additional 5-10 minutes until liquid has reduced.
(7) Serve and enjoy!

The Three Types of Beachbody Coaches

Hey y'all! Long time, no blog.  Sorry about missing what should have been a posting day over the weekend.  We were very busy here in the Hope Household getting everything Christmas-ified.  I am happy to report, that we have all of our outdoor lights up and both our trees decorated.  It's starting to feel like Christmas up in here! I love this time of year.

We just started week 2 in my 21 Day Challenge Group and the results of the first week are coming in.  I am so happy and proud of all of the pounds and inches lost so far.  This group of ladies are rocking the challenge and are going to be showing off awesome new bodies by Christmas!


I wanted to use tonight's post to answer a question that I have been asked recently by several of you about the Beachbody Coach opportunity.  I feel like there's a ton of little pieces of information floating around out there about what coaches are, how they do their job, and what it takes to become a coach. 

I want to start by saying that Beachbody Coaching is whatever you want it to be and you get out of it exactly what you put into it.  Tonight, I'm going to go into detail about the three types of Beachbody Coaches.

(1) The Discount Coach
Who doesn't like saving money? If you could save 25% on a purchase, why wouldn't you? That's the idea behind becoming a discount coach.  Every person who signs up to become a Beachbody Coach receives a 25% discount on all purchases through Beachbody.  As long as your coaching fees are paid, you get your discount.  If you plan on being a regular Shakeology drinker or purchasing multiple Beachbody programs throughout the year, then there is no reason not to become a Beachbody Coach.  Just looking at Shakeology, the amount of money you save after the monthly coaching fee is just under $20 per month. That adds up quick!  Added bonus: if you purchase a Beachbody Challenge Pack, your one-time coach set-up fee is waived.  I highly suggest anyone considering becoming a coach, even just a discount coach, purchase a challenge pack, because you are getting Shakeology and a program of your choosing for a discounted rate (a savings of $50 or more depending on the program you chose) plus the $40 coach set-up fee is waived.  That right there is a savings of $90 or more and then 25% off every future purchase.  So ask yourself: Do you love Beachbody products? Do you love saving money? If your answer is yes, become a coach!

(2) The Referring Coach
So you've completed a Beachbody program and got awesome results. Congrats! Now all your friends, family, and coworkers are asking you "how did you do it?"  You tell them you drank Shakeology everyday and did a Beachbody program, then they go out and buy it too because they want to get the same awesome results you did.  Wouldn't it be nice to get a little financial recognition for the referral you made?  Well, if you are a Beachbody Coach and you direct your friends, family, and coworkers who now want the same program you did to your coach website, you will get a 25% commission on their purchases.  Wouldn't that be nice? And it didn't take that much effort, did it?  All you did was tell someone else what you did to lose weight, or get fit.  Referring Coaches are products of the product.  They are people that have had success with a program and share their success with others.  These coaches are not interested in building and running their own business, but do want to pay it forward and help those around them get fit.  Many referring coaches earn $100-400 per week by doing nothing more than sharing their results with others.  That extra income could go towards family vacations, a new car, eating out, or paying off debt. If you found a program or product that gives you awesome results wouldn't you want to share it with others?

(3) The Business Building Coach
Do you have a passion for fitness, Beachbody products, or helping others reach their goals?  Do you want to be your own boss, run your own business, and set your own work hours?  Does the idea of entrepreneurship excite you?  Then becoming a full-time business building coach may be for you. In order for your business to work, you have to be both committed to yourself and committed to the people you want to help.  This requires a drive and passion for coaching.  If this sounds like you, and you treat this opportunity like a business, there is no limit to how far you can go.  There is no earnings cap at a Beachbody coach.  There are coaches in the network that are making 6 and 7-figure incomes and doing so after only being a coach for 2-3 years.  What other job out there can you think of that will get you a salary like that in such a short amount of time?  Keep in mind, just as with weight loss, this is not a quick or easy task. Coaching is not a get rich quick scheme.  You can make a very good living doing this work, but you have to put in the effort day in and day out to get there.

Now that you have a little more info on the Beachbody Coaching Opportunity, I have a call to action for you. If you are wanting to become a coach or even just considering the possibility of becoming a coach sometime in the future, fill out the form below, so that we can chat more about this opportunity.  If there was ever a time to get into coaching, it is now, before the New Year's Resolution Rush.  Let me help you figure out if this would be a good fit for you!

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Summer Bodies are Made in the Winter

How many years have you had a goal to be in a bikini (or for you guys out there, to go shirtless) by summer, only for summer to arrive with you not quite where you want your body to be?  That is because we either (a) are not thinking about bikinis until the Victoria's Secret Swim Suit Catalogue comes out in the Spring or (b) we are thinking about it in the winter, but are also thinking that summer is still a long ways away.  You have to remember that you didn't lose your fitness or gain weight over night.  It took months or sometimes years to get to where you are and it can take just as long to get to where you want to go. This is why summer bodies are made in the winter.  

Now, when it is cold and you are bundled up in leggings and sweaters is when you need to be working on getting that lean, fit body you want to show off at the pool or beach.  It is so easy to let ourselves go in the winter months.  Who wants to get up early when it's dark to workout? Who wants to eat a cold salad, when your already cold?  Most people don't, but now is the time to start working towards your summer goals. 

The holidays are notoriously rough for maintaining or losing weight, in fact the average American will gain a pound in just December. One pound might not seem like much, but keep in mind, that is an average, so for every person who loses or maintains over the holidays, there is also a person who gained that much more.  Don't be that person!  It's fine to enjoy yourself and indulge on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and even New Year's eve, but what about all those other days in between? It's not fair to yourself to say "Well, I know I'm gonna eat whatever I want on Christmas, so I might eat whatever I want now too."  One cheat day won't ruin your progress, but a cheat week or a cheat month, can and will set you back.  There is no reason to wait until January 1st to start working towards a new you.  In fact, research shows that people who wait to start a diet until the new year are significantly more likely to quit or fail than someone who starts a diet at any other point in the year.  Set yourself up for success. Start working on that summer body right now!

Want help making an eating or fitness plan?  I am happy to help!  Sign up to have me as your free coach using the link at the top of this page, or email me using the link in the bottom left. We can get you started on you way to that summer body you want right now. 

Motivation Monday: New Month, New Week, New You! + Insanity MAX 30 Launch!

Today is a great day! It's the start of a new week and the start of a new month!  It's the perfect opportunity to start something new, change a habit, or make some new goals!

For me, I reset my internal clock and forced myself to get up early, despite going to bed later than I had planned last night.  This month, I will get up and get my workouts in, every morning, so that I am set up for success the rest of the day.  It was Day 1 of my current 21-Day Fitness Challenge Group.  I have a great group of ladies that I am working with this round that are just as excited as I am to change their habits and their bodies.  Working with challenge groups is probably the most rewarding part of my job as a Beachbody Coach.  I get to work directly with motivated individuals to help them better their lives through fitness, which in turn, improves more than just their health and bodies, it helps their confidence, self-image, and self-worth.  Just thinking about it makes me smile!

I also took some time today to make some new goals for my business.  I really excited about these new goals and where my business will be when I achieve them!  When I formulate my goals, I write them as if I have already achieved them.  Do you ever use that trick?  Using positive, forward thinking helps you in your day to day motivation.  It allows you to more easily see what it will look like when your goals are achieved.   Don't ever say "if I achieve..." always say "when I achieve..." or "I will be...".  Also in writing our your goals, make sure they are measurable and give yourself a time limit.  If you are working on a deadline, you're less likely to procrastinate. Here are my two goals for December:

By December 31st, I will have:
     (1) achieved the rank of emerald coach (meaning I have expanded my team of coaches)
     (2) earned Success Club 5 (expanded my client base)

You might not understand what each of those goals means unless you are also a Beachbody Coach, but you can see the language and format I used.  Now, the day's not over, take a moment and make some goals for this month!

With a new month, comes a new free 30-day Fitness Challenge in my Facebook Group, Achieving a Fitter Life with Heather Hope!  This month we are doing a Push-Up Challenge.  Like I mentioned above, this is a completely free group.  If you want to join us, shoot me a message or join our Facebook Group and I will add you to our challenge!

Now, I've saved the best for last!  Where are all my Insanity peeps and Shawn T lovers at? Shawn T's newest fitness program, Insanity MAX 30 is launching TOMORROW!  I have a couple of friends who were part of the coach test group for this program, and let me tell you, it is off the hook!  The workouts are hardcore and so are the results!  It's only available to coaches and their customers tomorrow, and will become available for the general public next week, so if you want to get your hands on this program first, I can help you do that!  Message me or email me for details and pricing on this amazing new program!