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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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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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! 

Rebounding After the Holidays

Congratulations! We have made it through the Thanksgiving Holiday!  How did you do?

I made it through Thanksgiving still on plan.  We had Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year, which allowed for me to be in complete control of what was served. I followed the tips in Autumn Calabrese's video I share in my last post.  I started with the veggies, visualized my containers to guide my portions, and stayed on plan!  Yesterday, however, (Black Friday) was not as successful.  Our day was a little bit off right from the start.  We slept in later than planned, were slow getting out the door, and because we were tired and a little lazy, we didn't make great food choices. We went out to brunch before heading out on our Christmas tree hunt.  I ordered a veggie omelet and only ate half of it, which was good, but the omelet came with pancakes, and I ate a bit more than half of them, so the meal was carb heavy.  I knew I was going to have to be conscious of the carb content in my meals the rest of the day.  Our Christmas tree hunt was a success!  We went to this great little tree farm about an hour south of us and were able to cut down our own tree.  Spending so many Christmas seasons in the Pacific Northwest has spoiled my me and my husband when it comes to Christmas trees.  We have to cut it ourselves.  It just doesn't feel right if we don't!  Hadley, my daughter, had a great time at the tree farm and helped us pick out the perfect tree!

When we finally got pack home and got the tree situated, it was time for Hadley's nap, and for us to eat lunch,  I was very good and made a salad for myself topped with leftover turkey breast.  The problem came way later.  My husband and I were busy cleaning up around the house and let our daughter sleep too long.  By the time we got her back up, the temperature outside was dropping to near freezing and we had to get the tree set up in the house.  That took awhile, so by the time we were ready for dinner is was way later than we normally eat, and we were burned out.  We ordered pizza.  I love pizza, like really love pizza.  It has taken me a long time to learn the self-control and discipline to limit my portion size when I eat it.  I stayed within my 2 piece limit, but knew I was gonna regret eating it later, and I did.  As much as I love pizza, my body just doesn't.  I retain water like crazy after I eat it.  I hate feeling puffy. This doesn't happen to my husband at all, so I don't know if it's just me, or if he's the weird one.  Anyways, this was a perfect example of eat like crap, feel like crap.

But.. Today is a new day!  I normally try to blog every other day, but by the time I had time to sit down and type, it was pretty late.  I knew I needed a fresh start after the day I had, so I made the decision to go to bed on time and save my post for today. It was the right decision!  Today I woke up, got my workout it, and started my day right.  I hopped on the scale because I was curious about yesterday's damage.  I wasn't surprised what so ever to see the number I did, but I was able to acknowledge my previous day's mistakes and push forward.  Great eating choices all day, and I'm feeling good!

My 3-day Thanksgiving Clean-Up Challenge group is in full swing, and my ladies are doing great!  They are getting their workouts done, and drinking half their weight in ounces of water each day.  I'm so excited to see how everyone feels on Monday when the challenge is through.  Monday we are starting our 21-Day Fitness Challenge, so we can be fit and fabulous for Christmas.  I've got an awesome group of women in this challenge who are motivated to make a change, get healthy, look fabulous before the New Year.  Looking forward, I will be hosting a FREE 14-Day New Year, New You challenge starting January 1st to detox from the holidays and get the New Year started off right, and when we are finished with that challenge, we will keep our momentum going through a 30-day Beachbody Fitness Accountability Group!  Interested in any of these fabulous fitness groups?  Fill out the form below to reserve your spot.

In honor of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, I'm doing a Save Some Money Sunday!  TOMORROW ONLY, anyone who buys a Beachbody Challenge Pack from me will receive a $30 VISA gift card from me as a thank you!  **offer available to new customers and my established customers only** Message me on Facebook, or email me to get in take advantage of this deal! If you are not a member of my Facebook Group, join us!: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1478749202392357

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Staying on Track this Thanksgiving

Anyone excited for tomorrow's Thanksgiving Feast?  I am! I love Thanksgiving.  We usually drive out to my sister's house and have dinner with her family, but this year we are staying home, so I am totally in charge of what's going on the Thanksgiving table.  Even if you are visiting family and not in charge of the cooking, you can still stay on track with your eating plans tomorrow.  My girl, 21 Day Fix creator, Autumn Calabrese created an awesome video with tips on how to help you through Thanksgiving dinner.  In the video, she references the 21 Day Fix containers, but her serving sizes do apply to anyone trying to eat healthy and balanced meals.  Check it out:

I love her tip about adding veggies to your plate first and did you notice you can still have some indulgences while staying on track?  Love it!

If you happen to stumble tomorrow and end up in that "food coma"  I've got you covered!  I will be hosting a Thanksgiving Clean-Up Challenge in my open Facebook group.  The Challenge is totally free, everyone is welcome, and there are no strings attached.  Here is the link to our group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1478749202392357/

And... here are the details:

1) Enjoy your Thanksgiving meal and your time with your family
2) Plan on jumping back in on Friday and joining us here.
3) Invite a friend to join us! The more the better!
4) I'll be posting each day:
     -Quick core workout
     -Healthy Meal Plan ideas
     -Tips and Encouragement to keep going

What do I need from you?
1) Check in every day.
2) We'll have a quick fun assignment each day. Complete it to stay on track!

What are we going to focus on?
     -Healthy nutrition
     -Getting in our water
     -Working out 2 or 3 days

That's it! Super easy.

Then if you want to hit it and keep going to start the New Year strong and would love some support and coaching keep me posted! I have a 21 Day Fix Accountability Group Starting next Monday,12/1. I'll also be starting a new private free clean eating group Jan 1-14 and a 30-Day Beachbody Challenge Group starting Jan 15th. 


Let's do this!

Join us!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1478749202392357

Happy Thanksgiving!