3 Day Refresh Update and Results

On Monday, I did another round of the 3 Day Refresh.  Honestly, I have a love/hate relationship with this particular program.  Let me explain.....

The first time I ever did the Refresh, our family was in the midst of a very uncertain time.  We knew we were relocating, due to Chad's job, yet didn't know where.  Our home had sold, and we were living in an apartment with some of our things, since the rest were in storage.  Since we were transitioning, we decided to homeschool, which was interesting.  {To say the least!}  You could say it was a season of mourning for me.  I was grieving the loss of my routine with kids being in school, our home and neighborhood, knowing we were moving and about to leave our friends and family in Sioux Falls, yet the uncertainty of when or where we would be going.  Did I mention that transition and I aren't the best of friends?  So, it was a tough time for sure.  Due to all of that, the refresh wasn't the best thing for me at that time.  The results were good, but emotionally with all we were going through, I wasn't a fan.  It wasn't that I didn't feel well, or was in the bathroom a lot or anything like that, it was just one more thing I felt that was being taken away from me during that time {food.}

However, since I'm not one to give up easily, I gave it another shot last fall.  Chad was traveling {he didn't think that was a great idea, but why not?}  Thankfully, the second round was much better. Some of it does have to do with hormones, I believe.  This second time, it was at a better time of the month for me ;)   And, this round was much better overall.  I felt great, liked the results, it did what it is intended to do.  {Personally, I believe what's going on in your life has a lot to do with how you feel about the refresh, just based on my experience.}

So, enter round three.  I just wrapped up yesterday.  This time was hard.  Again, might have something to do with hormones and time of the month....just sayin'.  We were back from our cruise, where I completely got off point with my nutrition {exercise was spot on, however! But you can't outrun a bad diet, so.....}, then it was Easter.  {Dang jelly beans! They are little, but they count!}  So, after the cruise and Easter, I was due.  Our normal way of eating is gluten and dairy free due to food intolerances.  {Not allergies, but intolerances. They are different.  If you'd like more info on this, please let me know.}  Needless to say, gluten and dairy were consumed on our cruise, as well as Easter {hello, Buckeye brownies and raspberry coffee cake!}  So, it was time for a refresh for me. Here are my thoughts after the 3rd round:

• My goal in doing this was not to lose weight, or even inches, but to tame my tongue from the sweets and junk I had eaten over the past few weeks.
• I was really tired the first day.  Thinking it might have been my body detoxing from all the junk it had in it.  {I was really off track.......}
• The second and third days were better, but by the third day, I was just ready to eat.
• It made me more aware of how often I eat during the day.  For the most part, I have a good nutrition routine that I stick to, and I was missing that {could be connected to the grieving from the first time?}  
• The inflammation and pain I was feeling were gone after the first day, which is a huge plus! {That's part of what wheat and dairy due to me}.
• I slept great and felt good for most of the 3 days.
• Results, to be honest, I lost 2.5 pounds, no inches....I may have actually gained some inches.  Not sure if that is possible, but it was early when I measured today.  Ha!

So, with my results and ah ha moments from this round, here are my thoughts:

• For me personally, I'm wondering about the quality of weight lost.  Since I didn't appear to lose inches, I'm curious if I lost water weight?  That's a bit odd to me, but just something to be mindful of.  What was lost?  Not sure we will ever know, but usually there are inches that accompany pounds lost on the scale.
• Will I do it again?  Honestly, not sure.  If I need to get back on track, more than likely.  If I feel the need to detox, probably.  To lose weight, probably not.  This is a great program for an event, like a wedding, class reunion, etc., but for me, not something I will do on a monthly basis.  I could maybe see quarterly, but certainly not monthly.

So, that's my honest review of the third round of the 3 Day Refresh.  If you have any questions, please let me know.  I'm a pretty open book and always happy to help.

The Personal Importance of Fitting In, To Me....

Technology is an interesting thing, isn't it?  I have the Timehop app on my phone, but truth be told, it rarely gets looked at.  Yet, for some reason, it caught my eye today.  This post is what I found.  {If you haven't read it yet, please do so.}  In the way of true transparency, which is how I strive to live, there have been some struggles lately. Nothing life changing, major, anything like that, but some struggles none the less. Doubts, questions....the like.

There have been opportunities that have arisen that have caused these thoughts/feelings/emotions, as well as circumstances, as well as questions asked by others.  Then of course, you have the whole picture vs. reality tension that I live in a lot. Seeing things one way, but the reality doesn't match that picture.  Anyone know what I'm talking about there?  So, all that to say, some things have led up that brought me to this place.  Yet, I'm thankful in the midst of it because since returning from our cruise, a goal of mine has to be more intentional with my time.  To slow down and hear the voice of God. He speaks in a still small voice that requires us to be still and listen.  Yet, when our lives are so full and chaotic and over-programmed, it is harder to hear Him.  At least that has been my experience.

So, today, I was reflecting on the blog post mentioned above and my dad.  Wondering what he would be like if he were alive, wondering what I would be like, what our family would be like.....just wondering.  I am curious, you know!  Then, as I was sitting silently in our bedroom taking a mommy time-out {for real, it's spring break here, folks!}, it hit me.  The reason fitting in has always been such a struggle for me.  You might not know that but since I can remember, fitting in has been something I have so desperately wanted.  It doesn't matter where, or with who, it was just important to me to fit in, to be accepted.  In school, starting in elementary years, all the way through high school.  Then, off to college, joining the sorority, and 50 million other organizations on campus {hello!} it continued. {Side note, God always makes everything work for our good {Romans 8:28}.  I became a Christian because I wanted to fit in....that's another story for another time, but ask me about it if you'd like!} This pattern continued past college, way into adulthood.  It's like I was this little girl walking up to people or groups trying to fit in with a piece of velcro asking "do I stick to you?  Do I fit here?"  Have you ever felt that way?

Well, back to sitting silently in our bedroom {another way to tell it's spring break, I'm chatty because there has been ZERO adult interaction today, eeek!!!}, God showed me the reason I struggle with fitting in is because of my childhood.   See, my mom remarried when I was young and as a result, I was the only one in our family with a different last name.  The rest of the family had the same last name, but not me.  Stick out like a sore thumb much?  Somehow that lie got planted there that I don't fit in with my family, so why would I fit in anywhere else?  Thank God for showing me the root of the lie, so I can stand on the TRUTH of HIS WORD and defeat that! Isn't He good like that?

Thanks for reading, was pretty excited about this revelation and had to share to give Him the glory! He will draw near to those who draw near to Him, so draw near, friends!  {James 4:8}.  Love you, friends!

A Very Full Heart ~ Post SS Beachbody Cruise

Hello there!  Sorry that it's been so long since I've written.  Life has been busy lately.  If I'm super honest, it's been too busy.  We are just back from a wonderful 5 day vacation on the SS Beachbody and it was ah-mazing!  It was truly just what Chad and I needed.  Life has been crazy since moving to Indiana a year and a half ago, plus jumping into leading the youth ministry at our church, added to not having vacationed in over two years combined with work, children, and well, life.....it was much needed!

In sheer honesty before the trip, I was struggling....struggling with responsibility. Struggling with juggling all of the balls in my life.  Struggling with purpose.  Struggling with passion.  Struggling with the call of God on my life.  Yes, folks, I was riding the struggle bus BIG TIME!  But, some time away gave me some time to reflect and a perspective.  On the flight there, I read the book "Breaking Busy," and it totally hit home in so many areas. There are questions and exercises to work through and those were most beneficial to me!  I think God had me do that before our trip because He knew I needed to REST and RELAX on the boat!  So, the journey started before we even stepped onto the ship.

Getting onto the ship, nervousness hit me. Would I fit in?  Would everyone be in a bikini rocking a perfect body?  Who would be on the trip?  Will I be accepted?  A lot of insecurity, looking back.  The first night we had dinner with our team, which was great.  I know and really enjoy those people so it was good to connect. 

 

The rest of the time, Chad and I were on our own and kind of did our own thing. We did the daily workouts which were awesome! How cool to have celebrity trainers on the boat with us?  Autumn Calabrese, creator of the 21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix Extreme and Hammer and Chisel, as well as Sagi Kalev, Body Beast and Hammer and Chisel, as well as Joel and Jericho from Les Mills were who kicked our booties daily!  Tony Horton was also there, but we did not participate in his workout. :( We also connected with some other coaches I knew beforehand, and also met some new ones which was great!  

The beautiful thing to me is that each person is SO different ~ we look different, we have different upbringings, different lifestyles, different shapes, different seasons of life, but we all have ONE thing in common....that is to HELP OTHERS!  For me, more than anything, my vision and mission for helping was increased on this trip!  There is no stereotypical Beachbody coach, we all just have a HEART to help!  Being with like minded people was great!

There is a coach who is also a pastor who was on the trip.  He graciously led a worship service twice on the cruise!  It was incredible to worship Jesus in the open air under a beautiful sun and hear a great word from the Lord.  Pastor Matt preached on the parable of the talents and talked about passion and purpose and what God is calling you to do.  It was very timely for me!

One of my favorite parts was having Chad experience this with me!  He hasn't had an opportunity to attend Beachbody events before, so this was a great time to hear from our CEO, Carl Daikler and other top coaches in the network.  It was great having him there with me and being a part of this world that means so much to me.  

CEO, Carl Daikler

For me, I left with a renewed sense of encouragement.  This is such a strong company whose mission is truly to help others be the best they can be, which is my heartbeat.  I have spent too many years not believing I was worth it, which is a lie from the devil.  The truth is I am a child of God and He gives good gifts to His children.  The same goes for you reading this, too!  Yes, I have been in several other companies before, but this one is SO MUCH different from any one I have been with before.

If you feel led to learn more about coaching, please ask, I would love to share!  Our team is also hosting an event this coming week where we will share the following:

• What coaching is
• How to get started
• How to make money
• How to build a business from home

If you would like to learn more, please let me know.  There is no commitment, this is just information.  If you're at all curious about how this works, please join us!  You are also welcome to fill out this form.

Thanks for reading....I'm sure God will give me more to share with you as I continue on this journey......

XO,
Melissa

Why and What I Learned From Going Off of Shakeology

I bet ya never thought you'd read a post written by me with that title, did you?  Yup, it's true.  I went off of Shakeology.  Here's why:

* I have been a daily Shakeology drinker for almost the last two years.  I haven't gone a day without it.  As a result, I didn't know what life was like "before," because I was so used to being on it, ya know?

* For me to be telling people why they need it and what it does for them, I needed to know, believe and experience it for myself.  Its important for me to be a person of integrity and for me, that means "walking the walk," and "talking the talk."  In order to be that person, I had to make sure what I have been sharing is truth.  The only way to know was to go off the product and see what happened.

So, after being off the product, here's what I found:
* Day 1, I was crabby, irritable, had a dull headache and didn't poo all day.  {This was odd for me.  Hope this isn't TMI, but before Shakeology, I was not regular with this.  Being on Shakeology made me like clock work.  I miss the clock work, ha ha!} 

* Day 2, I wasn't as crabby and irritable, but still had a dull headache all day.  I did go poo this day, but again, not like clock work.   Us busy mamas gotta have the predictability, ya know?  Surprisingly, my cravings weren't too bad on day 1 and day 2, maybe because it was a faster paced day?  I wasn't awake as long? Not sure.....

* Day 3, well this was the hardest day for sure. I wasn't crabby and irritable anymore {yay!}, I didn't poo again  {grrrr......}, but my cravings were out of control!  I was hungry all day and wanting to eat everything in sight! Thankfully, we don't have junk food in our house or that would have been consumed quickly by me, for sure!  Dull headache still present, but not as bad.  The interesting thing is that my diet was pretty much the same all three days, but by day three, I definitely felt like I was missing something and just not "satisfied" after eating.

So, where do I go from here?  

I'm glad you asked!  After 3 days of being off of Shakeology, I'm so ready to go back on it! On day three, the thought hit me "if this has been a good thing, why are you messing with it?"  Good point :)  Again, I needed to know that I am sharing truth and not just something I've been led to believe.  For me personally, my nutrition was so off before doing the 21 Day Fix and Shakeology coming into my life that I was VERY deprived of vitamins, nutrients, minerals, probiotics, prebiotics, etc.  I do believe that Shakeology has helped me with my nutrition 100%.   I also like that it is a protein source.  For me, protein is the food group I lack in the most. Fruits, veggies, carbs, fats, those are easy, but the protein, that's always been my struggle. Shakeology is easy, convenient, quick and tastes ah-mazing!  I firmly believe it helps me with my sugar cravings and also keeps me fuller longer.  So, after three days of being off and being irregular, irritable and hangry {yes, that's a term.  It's hunger + angry  =hangry.} by day 3, I'm ready to go back on.  Why mess with a good thing after all, right?

Thanks for reading!  Let me know if you'd like to try Shakeology.  Always happy to share!

The Benefits to Having Me as Your Beachbody Coach

Honestly, I struggled with this topic and wondered if I should blog about it.  After some encouragement from a friend, I'm going for it.  {Thank you, KF!}  Beachbody is a huge company with TONS of coaches.  Chances are someone you know or are related to is also a coach {yay for them!!}  For you, you have the option to choose who your Beachbody coach is.  {Side note, if you order from the Beachbody website, you are automatically assigned a coach.  Chances are you won't know them and they may or may not give you the support you need.  95% of the time when I ask people who their coach is, they say they don't have one.  However, if you've ordered from the website, you do, whether you know you have one or not.  They may have reached out to you, but you may not have known it, their message went to spam, etc.  It's neither here nor there, but if you order from Amazon, ebay, etc.  you will have no coach at all. Which in my opinion, is a real tragedy.} 

Why would you want me as your Beachbody coach?  I'm so glad you asked.....I will list a few reasons that come to my mind here.  Feel free to chime in with others as well!

1. I sincerely care about you and your well being.  This isn't a "sales gig," for me.  I'm not doing it for the money.  {It is a nice benefit, but that's not my reason!}  I am doing it because my family has experienced first hand the benefits of changing our nutrition and incorporating Shakeology into our diets.  I have seen first hand how working out has helped me with my PTSD, my depression and my anxiety.  This has been a HUGE blessing to me.  I want everyone to feel as good as I do. You are worth it!

2. Because I sincerely care about you, your health and your well being, I go over and above to show you.  I offer private accountability groups where each day education is posted, so you are learning WHY we do things that way rather than just telling you to do it because the book says so.  In the groups, I also share recipes almost daily so you are always having options to choose from on your journey.  You're not in it alone.

3.  Once you graduate from a group, I have a "graduates group" my clients go in where I post weekly.  This is not a one time gig for me. This is a continual journey for me to support, share and encourage you along the way.

4. I provide an ebook chock full of great recipes for you to enjoy :)

5. Each month, I send out an e-newsletter with recipes, tips, nuggets and info for you.  I want to offer value to you.

6. I'm continually striving to learn and grow. Part of this for me last year included becoming a Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist and Certified Cize Live Instructor. This isn't about sales for me, but it's about learning and growing so I can continue to help others along the way.  If it were about sales, I wouldn't be investing and learning and growing.

7.  I have been where you are.  My background is not in health, nutrition, fitness, etc.  I was clueless about all of this until my own journey.  I know the power of our programs and that they work!  If you let them, they can change your life!  I know what it's like to do this with kids and a full schedule.  I get it! From someone who knows what it feels like to not feel good in their skin, who thinks they are eating healthy, drinking enough water and exercising but not seeing results, I get it!  I have been there, done that. That's part of my passion...is to help those who have been where I was and help them learn new ways of taking care of themselves. When I first started, I was scared.  I was nervous.  I was insecure.  But, my coach helped and encouraged me and that's what I do too!  I believe in you, even if you don't believe in yourself.  {And, look at me, I'm just a mom who wants to help others.  My counters have stuff on them!  I'm normal.  I'm human.  I'm real.  The picture isn't great, lol!}

Many of you know I have been with several other companies in the past.  In the past, that was about sales and meeting goals.  This isn't about that at all.  I can say that because I know the difference. This is about helping others.  This is about educating and informing others on what they put into their bodies. What they put into their children's bodies. This is about taking the scales off of our eyes and seeing what is happening around us.  The national obesity rate is rising for adults and children. Diseases like cancer, diabetes among others are on the rise.  We are in a health crisis, folks.  I firmly believe a large part of this has to do with our food supply and what we eat.  We as a society have a sugar addiction, I believe.  Our children are eating things that are outlawed in other countries. Why? Because we vote with our dollars.  What we buy tells merchandisers what to keep selling.  

{See, I have digressed because I'm so passionate about this.}  All that to say, you see me posting about Shakeology, the 21 Day Fix, PiYo, Cize, Hammer and Chisel, etc.  That's because I'm passionate about coaching.  I'm passionate about making a difference.  I'm passionate about helping YOU be the best you can be.  I'd love to come alongside you and be your coach on your journey.  Are you willing to let me walk with you?  If so, please fill out the form here for me to be your coach.   I'd be thrilled to be a part of your journey!  We all start somewhere.

Oh, if you're not local, don't worry about that....I do most of my coaching online.  If you'd prefer to chat via phone, or a zoom call {face to face}, that works too.  I'm here for YOU and whatever YOU need for your journey.

Love and hugs,
Melissa

Christmas and Expectations......

Why, hello there!  It's Christmas Eve and I'm blogging.  It's been a whirlwind of a month here.  There have been Christmas parties, Christmas programs, and lots of extras this month.  Our "normal" life schedule is pretty full as it is, but adding a few extras this month meant some things didn't get done. Our Christmas gifts are not wrapped as of yet. Our Christmas letters did not go out this month.  I didn't get gifts purchased for everyone I would have liked to have had a gift for this year.  The sad reality is that everything on my "expectation list" didn't get completed.  And, ya know what?  I am so ok with that.  

In the beginning of the month, there was a lot of pressure I was putting on myself to get all of these things done.  Things that seemed so important and that HAD TO happen.  In honest reality, none of those things needed to happen and Christmas is still coming without those things being done.  Best of all, Christmas is still Christmas and the meaning of it is the same.  Not because of what we got done or didn't get done; not because of who we bought for, or who we didn't buy for; but because of Jesus.  He is the reason we celebrate this day.  All of the other stuff is just extra. 

About mid December, when the realization hit that all of these things wouldn't happen, a peace came over me.  I heard the voice of God say "treat people like it's Christmas year-round.  Don't just buy them a gift because it's Christmas and you feel like you have to.  Love them year round.  Don't make December a time to love and give, do that year round." 

That was such a relief to me!  See, it's so easy during this time to get caught up in what our expectations or what others expect of us during Christmas.  But, the main thing is what does Jesus expect of us?  I don't think He expects us to act differently around Christmas than we do during the year, does He?  My intention for 2016 is to live each day like it's Christmas.  To be generous year round.  To love others year round.  To share year round.  To care year round.  For me, it's not just doing to be about doing things in the Christmas season, but make it a way of life. Care to join me?

My Gripe With the 21 Day Fix.....

After all the raving I've done about the 21 Day Fix, {you can read my story here} it might be surprising to hear me have a gripe with it, I bet?  Yes?  Well, I hope you know by now if you know me in person or have followed me, that I strive to be totally transparent.  I've sometimes been called direct, which I'm not sure if that is good or not, but I sure don't want to not be upfront and honest about anything, so here goes......

The 21 Day Fix is not a quick fix!  It is a 21 Day program, yes, but it is not intended or designed to be the end all be all after 21 days. It's merely meant to be a stepping stone to get you headed in the right direction.  A springboard, if you will.  It is nearly impossible to achieve and accomplish long term results in such a short 3 week period. My concern is for those who have done the program and either don't finish it {which has happened}, or who think they will meet all of their goals in those 3 weeks and be on their merry little way.  No, no, no, that is simply not the case.  

Let's say someone, hypothetically, does the 21 Day Fix and has great results at the end of their 3 weeks.  They drink their 30 day supply of Shakeology that came with their challenge pack, they have eaten approved foods from the clean eating list, used their portion control containers, drank their allotted amount of water per day and done the corresponding exercise videos as well.  They have followed the program!  As a result, they see and experience the results of feeling great, having more energy, and even lost a few pounds and/or inches.  They have such great success and feel so confident in their results that they go back to their pre 21 Day Fix lifestyle.  They aren't drinking Shakeology, they are not eating clean, they are not using the nutrition guide and eating the appropriate number of portions, they have slacked on their water intake and are not exercising anymore.  What do you think is going to happen?  They have just undone everything they did in those 3 weeks!  And, they might even say the program didn't work for them!  Yikes!

Or perhaps, they didn't see the results they wanted soon enough, so they decided to quit and throw in the towel.  Or, maybe they saw results, but those around them didn't at the end of the 3 weeks so they gave up. 

I'm not sure but I do know this.....our society has trained us to live in a quick fix society and if something doesn't happen as quickly as it things it does, we give up on the process.  We have somewhat lost the ability to see the process through.  In our world of microwave dinners, drive thrus, smart phones, wi-fi, we have been taught instant gratification.  The kicker is with weight loss, we didn't put it on in a day, so why do we expect it to come off in such a short amount of time?  Hmmmm......

I've been reading a number of great books lately.  Some of them include "The Compound Effect," "The Slight Edge," "The Miracle Morning"......all great reads.  And, they all have one thing in common.  They each talk about how it's the seemingly insignificant things we do day in and day out, compounded over time that have the biggest impact on our lives.  They use all sorts of examples from money {compound interest}, weight loss, personal growth/development, etc.  I think that is where so many folks get caught up.....either they don't see the consequences of those daily choices {think a soda pop habit, a smoking habit, a junk food habit, a spending habit, etc.} because they don't have INSTANT consequences.  If people would eat a hamburger and have a heart attack right afterwards, I bet the fast food business would take a dive.  But, see, that's not how it works. It's the having a hamburger every week over time that gets ya.  Yet, we don't have the ability to see that.  We don't understand that all of our choices are either adding up for our benefit or our detriment.  Does this make any sense?  If not, please read one or all of the books I've just listed.  They might possibly change your mindset, as they have mine.

So, back to the 21 Day Fix.....my gripe with it is that not everyone has the desire/ability/motivation/vision/not sure what else to say? to trust the process and continue it after the 21 days are over.  I'm not sure why, I wish I did.  Of course, I have some thoughts and ideas, but those are for another time......

If you have questions about the 21 Day Fix, please fire away!  Happy to help in any way I can.  This program can really be a game changer, if you continue and see it through.  It is a lifestyle change, not a quick fix.  I believe in you and want you to be the best version of yourself possible!  You and your family are worth that!!!!

Love and belief,
Melissa