It's cranberry season!! 

Have you ever thought to flip your cranberries over and read the ingredients? Not all cranberries are created equal. See all that corn syrup!!?? Yuck! 

But don't worry! Making your own cranberry sauce is easy (and makes your house smell soooo good!) When you make your own, it's easier to control the sugar content and it also makes it much more eye opening as to just how much sugar gets added. Here's a tip: You DO NOT need to follow cranberry recipes perfectly! Add the sugar slowly until you get the taste where you want, you may be surprised at just how much less sugar you need compared to what the recipe calls for! It's also fun to get creative with it. You can add orange zest, raisins, walnuts, cinnamon sticks, and anything else you like!

This is my 3rd holiday season as a health and fitness coach and every year I see the same trend... people go into the holidays with an 'all or nothing' mentality. I totally get it! I used to be like that, too, but over the years I've learned that it doesn't need to be that way, so my mission this holiday season is to help others (like you!) get through the holidays not only not gaining weight, but LOSING weight and learning new tools to help you make healthy living a lifestyle change, and not just a quick fix or crash diet. 

I'd like you to take a minute to really visualize how you'd like to start the new year. How are you going to look? How are you going to feel? What is your energy level going to be like? Mental clarity? Strength? How are your clothes going to fit? How are you going to feel about yourself for achieving your goals?

Imagine yourself on New Year's Eve. What are you wearing? Maybe a new outfit you wouldn't have been able to fit into a few weeks before? Is this going to be the first New Year's that you don't need to make your resolution to lose weight or get in shape? 

The holidays don't need to be a time of weight gain. I'm here to help you make this your healthiest New Year's yet! By learning a simple, portion controlled meal plan, doing a 30 minute workout in the privacy of your own home daily, and by checking in with a private facebook group for added support and accountability, you will be able to lose weight and also enjoy your holidays without feeling deprived. 

If you have already purchased your 21-Day Fix challenge pack, all you need to do is send me a message on facebook and I'll get you added to the group! If you still need to get your challenge pack, you can order that here, and then I will be sure to get you added as well. I also can help you if you're vegan and/or gluten-free. 

It's amazing what you can do with the right tools and support! 

Wow! This past week has flown by! This past Sunday I started a brand new program called the 21-Day Fix. For those that don't know, the 21-Day Fix is a 21 day fitness and nutrition program that focuses on portion control to help people learn how to eat clean, lose weight and build lean muscle. Some of the results coming out of the Test Groups have been amazing! People are losing an average of 10-15 lbs in 21 days, and there are several people who have done multiple rounds and have lost over 100 lbs!! 

I know that a lot of people who follow my journey are vegan like myself, so I am so excited to share with you how I put together my meals every day!  

The meal plan is sooo easy to follow. It gives you calculations to figure out how many of each color container you get to eat in a day. Each color represents a different category of food. There is also a category which uses a teaspoon (which is not included in the package, but hey, who doesn't own a teaspoon?) Basically, you pick a food from the provided list, and if it fits, you eat it! The meal plan also includes a couple "Zings", or "cheats", which allow you to have chocolate, cookies and even wine while on the plan. The containers LOOK much smaller than they are. Once you add the food and get them arranged on a plate, you find that they actually hold quite a bit of food!

The fitness plan includes 8 workouts which range from cardio, cardio with weights, upper body, lower body, yoga, abs, pilates, and even one called Dirty 30, a 30-minute total body workout. All workouts are 30 minutes in length, with the exception of the ab workout, which is 10 minutes.  I got a little carried away at first when I saw there was a doubles schedule (two workouts a day) and it wasn't until day 3 that I noticed that the doubles schedule was actually only for week 3. (Oops! I'm leaving for a Beachbody cruise in 6 weeks so I have abs on the brain!) Thankfully that same day I found out that if you're already used to working out, that you can start the doubles week from day 1. You would just need to readjust the amount of each color you get in a day (and it tells you exactly how to do that. Simple!) 

Below is a list of all of the vegan options for each color container. So many choices! For non-vegans following the plan, your red category is much larger, and there are a couple additional items in the blue category. Paleos, your yellow category would need to be adjusted (I think, I honestly don't know much about Paleo eating). 

And THIS is everything I was eating during week 1! I've color coded everything to correspond with the color of container to make it easier on you. Just a disclaimer: I eat weird. Even before I was vegan, I was totally ok with eating the same foods and eating them in strange combinations. You could totally put these together using recipes and make some amazing meals out of them if you're into that kind of thing. I promise I'll work on doing more of a variety (stay tuned next week for my sushi I made today!), but for right now, it's a lot of smoothies and stir fry's. Nice and simple!

I use both vegan chocolate and vegan tropical Shakeology. If I'm making a smoothie I'm more likely to use tropical, and if I'm just mixing it with water, I almost always use chocolate. And I use a variety of protein powders. This week I rotated between chocolate Vega Sport Recovery Protein and chocolate Sun Warrior raw protein blend. 

And here are my results so far! After week 1 I am down 1.4 lbs! It may not SEEM like a lot, but I FEEL much lighter, more toned, and holy abs batman! I swear, Autumn (the trainer) adds an ab workout on to everything. I don't think I've ever done this many planks in my life! But I'm definitely not complaining, just getting me closer to my goal of having abs by my 35th birthday! 

For this next week, I'm going to reevaluate my calories and bump myself up to the next calorie range, so I'll be getting a few more color containers each day.  I'm also going to experiment more with different recipes, including the salad dressing recipes that come with the plan. 

I'm going to be putting together an accountability group for others who are interested in doing the 21-Day Fix themselves. It's a small, private facebook group where I'll post daily posts to help keep everyone on track for the 21 days. My first group is set to officially kick off tomorrow and SOLD OUT in only 3 days! If you'd like to be in my next 21-Day Fix accountability group, please fill out this form and I'll get back to you asap! 

If you have any questions about the 21-Day Fix, it's workouts, meal plan or results you can expect, post them in the comments below or message me on facebook! 

Yay! P90X3 is coming out TODAY!!! This program is going to be amazing! The people who were in the test group got amazing results (see video above!) I’m happy to announce that I will be forming my own TEST GROUP starting Monday, January 6th. Beachbody can guarantee a Christmas delivery if you order by the 15th of the month. So don’t delay!

In order to be in my test group, you must place your order by clicking here.

The opportunity to be in my January Test Group is open to people who order through me and to my existing customers. It is not  available to people who are already working with another Beachbody coach. You can message me at [email protected] or contact me here should you have any questions about the test group.

*Note: the best value is the Challenge Pack, which includes P90X3 and a monthly supply of Shakeology. The price will go up to from $180 to $205 in December. Bought separately, you would pay $240.

Have P90X3 related questions? Click here for a P90X3 FAQ sheet! 

I've been getting so many messages with questions about P90X3 that I've decided to answer them all in one spot! 

Q: When does P90X3 come out?
A: December 10th!!!

Q: How long are the workouts?
A: 30 min. long with the exception of Ab Ripper X3 which is 15 min. 

Q: What are the workouts like?
A: There are 16 workouts total, ranging from circuit training and weights, plyometrics, MMA, yoga and pilates.

Q: What kind of equipment do I need?
A: You need hand weights and either a resistance band or pull up bar.

Q: How long is the entire program?
A: It's 90 days, broken up into 3 phases, and there is also an additional, optional phase that can be done after the first 90 days, which is 4 weeks long.

Q: Do I need to have done P90X and/or P90X2 first? 
A: Nope! 

Q: Is there a vegan meal plan?
A: Yes!!! There are vegan options!!! :)

Q: When do I need to order it to get it by Christmas?
A: December 15th at midnight

Q: Are there any specials going on for it?
A: YES!! For the month of December, already discounted P90X3 challenge packs are on sale for another $25 off. This means you get an entire month of Shakeology for over 1/2 off... that's less than I pay! 

Q: What if I also want to become a coach?
A: You can get the same amazing deal for the challenge pack, and your one-time coach sign up fee will be waived, saving you even more money! 

I'm going to be doing it myself the SECOND I get my hands on it and I'll be putting together a facebook group for others who are doing it with me. To be one of the first people to know when it's released, sign up for my free coaching HERE and I'll keep you up to date!

How to do Body Beast on a 100% plant-based, vegan diet. Say what? YES! It is possible to build muscle AND follow a traditional bodybuilding diet while still remaining vegan, it just requires a little creativity! Since the bulk of most traditional bodybuilding diets are based around meat, eggs and dairy, most people would think it's not possible to make them vegan. But I'm about to show you how easy it can be! 

When Scott and I did Body Beast last fall, we wanted to follow the meal plan as close as possible, while still remaining 100% plant-based. While it did require a little tweaking and some calculations, we were able to follow the plan and had AMAZING results! See for yourself! 

The Body Beast meal plan is broken down into three phases; Build, Bulk and Beast. For all three of the phases, there are calculations to figure out your daily caloric needs, each phase's meal plan is broken down into different portions (ie. 5 starches, 2 legumes, 4 veggies, etc. per day) and (most importantly!) it also breaks down the your day's nutrition into the macro nutrient counts (protein, carb and fat %'s). While you could follow the Portion Charts, it would be extremely difficult to make proper substitutions for each category, and especially difficult to maintain it for a full 90 days. So we're going to focus on the macro nutrient counts. 

Following the macro nutrient counts is much easier than it sounds. There are so many nutrition tracking apps out there. All you do is enter or scan your food, and it tells you everything you need to know. We used the myfitnesspal app. (My user name is JulieJeep. Feel free to add me!) You can adjust your daily calorie goals on myfitnesspal from the app, but to adjust the macro %'s you need to log in from a computer. Just go to www.myfitnesspal.com and once you're logged in go to Goals then Change Goals and select Custom. From there you can adjust your daily % goals for protein, carbs and fat, as well as your calories. You can also adjust your daily sodium goals, which will come in handy if you decide to do Body Beast's one week Competition Plan once you finish the Beast phase. (Which we did!) 

So now that you know how to track your nutrition, here's how to veganize the supplements! There are a few different Body Beast supplements; Hardcore Base Shake, Fuel Shot, MAX Creatine and Super Suma. Only the MAX Creatine supplement is vegan, so this is what we used to create the others. I should also add that we continued to use vegan Shakeology daily while doing Body Beast. 

I hope that helped break down each individual supplement and how to make a vegan version. Here's how we put it all together to make the Body Beast Post Workout Drink!

If you've been thinking of doing a muscle building program like Body Beast, but aren't sure where to start as a vegan, or would just like to connect with other like minded people, sign up for our free coaching here and we'll get you added to our facebook accountability group! Trust us, we know what it's like to be a vegan surrounded by a bunch of non-vegans in the fitness world. We'll help you get through it! 

This one was way too easy. I may just have to post a Volume 2 for everything I couldn't fit in this pic. Why are girls so much easier to shop for than guys? :) Christmas gifts for mom have never been easier! 

1. Road ID Wrist ID Slim $18
The name speaks for itself. The Wrist ID Slim is the slimmest (or smallest) ID in our lineup. This pint-size fella may be diminutive in stature, but he is jam-packed with peace of mind. The Wrist ID Slim is worn by some top athletes, but this great ID is also perfect for kids. With its stylish and comfortable silicone band, you will be tempted to make a lifestyle statement and wear it 24/7. Like all our ID products, The Wrist ID Slim can be laser engraved with your emergency contact information and is available in both Original and Interactive versions. There are ten different colors to choose from. You (and your kids) will love wearing The Wrist ID Slim.

2. Train Like a BEAST Look Like a BEAUTY crush tank $20 
Cute racerback motivational tank with patterned cotton fabric that mimics the beauty of the waves glistening in the sun! Looks awesome paired with a contrast color sports bra. 

3. SPI belt $20-$22
The SPIbelt will expand to hold any smart phone, keys, cash, credit cards, and even a passport. The SPIbelt is ideal for fitness, travel, medical needs, and so much more. The SPIbelt is sleek, secure, and does not bounce. 

4. Pink BOSU Ball $125
BALL, BOUNCE AND SPORT, INC. BOSU TRAINER :: Take your training results to the next level while showing your support for the Susan G. Komen For The Cure breast cancer research foundation. Enhance your balance, increase your core stability and teach your body to move more efficiently with this BOSU trainer that has become a must-have fitness tool for every athlete's workout regimen. Plus, you can give your workouts an extra kick with the two DVDs included: 4 in 1/XPLODE and XPLODE Cross Training Series. 

5. Kettlebell Charm Necklace $30 
28" ball chain + 3" extender chain. Oxidized Silver Plating.

6. Chin Up Max $40
Maximize every minute you spend on the chin-up bar. This tool gives you the right amount of adjustable support to help you strengthen and train muscles as you work toward unassisted moves.

7. Sore Today, Strong Tomorrow water bottle $10
Hold your water and shakes in style with this twist top, wide mouth, blender bottle! Perfect for hydrating yourself with ice cold water or blending your fave protein shakes.

8. Sweaty Bands $13-$20
Available in over 800 styles and featuring a uniquely non-slip hold, there is truly a Sweaty Band to compliment every occasion and activity! Our claim to non-slip fame comes from the combination of our 100% velvet backing, which gently grips your hair to stay in place and absorb excess sweat, and elastic closure, which conforms to fit tightly to any head shape and size. Every Sweaty Band is handmade with love in the US, and ships out of our Cincinnati, OH headquarters after being inspected for perfection.

9. Six Pack Bags $70-$250
Forget the tired lunchboxes of yesteryear, these travel bags will offer support in completing your fitness goals, no matter where your day takes you.

10. Gaiam Print Yoga Mat $22 
Creating your own peaceful and fulfilling sacred space is closer than you think with any of Gaiam's Print Yoga Mats. Perfect for home or studio use, these 3mm thick mats will provide the cushioning your body needs to enhance proper alignment and maintain poses. Your hands and feet will love the stability that the light-tack non-slip texture brings to your practice. These lightweight, latex-free mats are free of six of the most harmful phthalates.

11. TurboFire Home Fitness Program $80-$180
TurboFire is the intense cardio conditioning program from fitness innovator Chalene Johnson. This 90-day weight loss and body slimming program will help you get leaner with exercises that can burn up to 9x's more fat and calories than regular cardio does. To help you get started, TurboFire includes two low-impact workouts, plus the Fire Starter Class, which shows you the right form for each TurboFire move. And, with more than 20 smoking-hot remixes, the music will push you past your limits during all 14 workouts. Available with or without Shakeology. 

12. Allied Medal Displays running medal hanger $40-85 
This larger than normal display is perfect for all the runner girls out there. The displays are laser cut from heavy-gauge stainless steel. Additional sizes available!

13. Nike Free TR 3 Training shoes $100
The Nike Free TR Fit 3 training shoe will provide the encouragement needed to train at your best. The upper has integrated internal zones to optimize breathability while supporting quick lateral and horizontal movements. Attend your daily fitness class or follow your own routine and get complete confidence as the rubber pods grip any surface. Combining the outsole technology with lightweight foam, the Nike Free Fit 3 will help you stay fit. 

14. Yoga Mat Care Kit $18
Freshen up your yoga mat after class with our two-part kit. Our individually wrapped Yoga Mat Wipes, made with essential oils, contain no alcohol or harsh chemicals, so they won’t dry out your skin. They’ll also help preserve the life of your yoga mat. Quick drying cleanser that evaporates completely, leaving no slippery residue. Made of natural biodegradable fibers and man made fibers. After class, our Super Yoga Mat Wash cleans your mat without damaging the fibers and removing stickiness. Made with organic essential oils with proven antiseptic, antibacterial and moisturizing properties. 

15. Lebert Equalizer Bars $115
Simplify your exercise routine, and conquer your fitness goals with the LEBERT EQUALIZER Total Body Strengthener. The Lebert Equalizer is a simple, portable, yet multi-purpose and versatile piece of strength training equipment that works arms, chest, back and core muscles like no other can, using your own body weight as resistance.  Created by personal trainer and Taekwondo Black Belt, Marc Lebert, the Equalizer is now being used by athletes of all levels and ages, in bootcamps, group fitness, sports conditioning classes, martial arts clubs and home gyms everywhere.

It's that time of year again... Pumpkin EVERYTHING!!! The only problem with that is... it ends up making you look like a pumpkin! :0 

Don't spend this winter hiding behind big sweaters. Make this the winter you TAKE CONTROL of your nutrition, even through the holidays! I know this time of year is busy, but that doesn't mean you have to sit back and let your health spin out of control. 

Nothing is faster or quicker (or healthier!) to make and eat than a green smoothie, so I'm going to be offering a 15-day green smoothie challenge to help you stay on track! All you'l need to do is replace one meal a day with a green smoothie made with Shakeology (the meal replacement I use every day). There are 5 delicious flavors to choose from. You can do any workout you like (or none if you're not at that point in your journey yet). I'll be providing more than enough recipes and support along the way! 

How amazing are you going to feel when you don't have to worry about losing your "winter weight" in the spring!?!?!

And a BONUS... I usually cap my groups at a certain # to keep them small, but this one is going to be open to EVERYONE! So grab your friends and let's get healthy this fall!!! And since each bag of Shakeology comes with a 30-day supply, this would also be a great time to inspire a friend and split the bag, but beware, once you try Shakeology, you won't want to share it with anyone! 

The 15-day green smoothie challenge officially kicks off Oct. 19th, so you only have until this Saturday, Oct. 12th to order your Shakeology so you have it in time! (And my little secret, be sure to choose the "auto ship" option when you order. That way you'll get free shipping and you can cancel it at any time!) 

It's been a great summer of parties, vacations, concerts... and probably not the best food choices and I'm sure a missed workout here and there. We're all human! It's now time to put your health and fitness first again and regain your confidence! SO... we're going to be putting together a NEW 30-day intense focus fitness and nutrition group. 

This group is going to be VERY limited in size so we can give you our ultimate attention, support and guidance. We'll be doing this TOGETHER! We will be focusing on fitness and nutrition, and giving you the tools to make this a LIFESTYLE change, and not just a quick fix. It's easier than you think! This group will be open to both men and women... but only if you're SERIOUS about changing and looking for RESULTS! 

Starts Monday, September 9th. Spots are limited so contact us telling us why you're ready to make the change, and to reserve your spot asap and start living the life you want!!!

This is also the last week for the AMAZING August deals... TurboFire, Body Beast and T25 challenge packs are all on sale until August 31st! Challenge Packs come with everything you need to get the RESULTS you want! They include:

• The complete workout program
• Fitness guide
• Meal plan designed specifically for each workout
• One month of Shakeology (and entire month of meals!)
• One month of club membership which gives you 10% off future purchases and access to Eat Smart, the online meal planner
• Lifetime free coaching and support
• Support, accountability and motivation from our private facebook group
• Free shipping
• All at a HUGE discount!

The Challenge Group that will be starting Monday, September 9th will be using the workouts TurboFire and Body Beast. You can do either workout, depending on your goals, or if you're really up for a challenge, you can do a hybrid of both with me. :) Contact us asap to reserve your spot! 

Just finished up Day 1 of Shaun T's new workout Focus T25 and I'm just going to say this right now... for those of you who think you can't get a killer workout at home in only 25 minutes, you've just met your match! T25 is only 25 minutes a day, 5 days a week and is broken into two standard phases, alpha and beta, which both are 5 weeks long, and a third bonus phase called gamma. 

So I'm not "officially" starting T25 until the rest of my challenge group starts it on July 8th, but I was able to get my hands on it last week at Coach Summit before it was released to the public and I couldn't wait any longer to see what it was like! So I caved, and now I can say that Day 1 of T25 is done! 

This program was released at the perfect time, too. Who has time to workout in the summer!? Not me! But I CAN find 25 minutes a day! What I love about this workout so far, besides the time of the workouts, is that anyone can do it. There is a "modifier" in each workout showing you how to do the moves low impact, but you can still attempt to follow along with the others in the program if you're more fit. (Trust me, I tried, but I had my hands on my knees gasping for air a few times!) 

I'm also not typically a heavy sweater when working out so I was amazed when I was dripping with sweat by the end of the 25 minutes, and I looked over and Scott was the same. After just the first two minutes my calves were on fire, it took four minutes for my quads to be on fire, and I was sweating so much that I only worked out in my shorts and sports bra and I swear I could see my abs developing right before my eyes!

T25 was just released to the pubic two days ago, and spots are filling up FAST in our T25 challenge group that starts July 8th. If you want to join, make sure you reserve your spot ASAP! 

"Ain't nobody got time for that!" is no longer an excuse! 

As if being a Beachbody coach wasn't the best job in the world already, it also comes with some pretty sweet perks, including being the first to get our hands on new workouts when they come out... and I was SUPER excited for this one!! Scott and I are in Las Vegas right now for the annual Beachbody Coach Summit, where the new Shaun T workout was just released to coaches!

I know, I know, NO ONE has the time, but now that's no longer a valid excuse! This week's job perk is... Focus T25!!! 25 minutes a day, 5 days a week, and if I know Shaun T it's going to be killer! We got a little taste of T25 when we did two live workouts with Shaun T this spring in both Toronto then at Disney, and we're going to be doing a full on T25 workout later this afternoon!

T25 will be released to non-coaches starting Monday, June 24th. To be one of the first to get your hands on it and to join my upcoming T25 challenge group, sign up here! Also, until the end of July, T25 Challenge Packs will be on sale. Challenge Packs include the workout, one month of Shakeology, one month of free Beachbody club membership, and free shipping. 

I know not everyone has the time to workout for hours a day, but YOU DESERVE at least 25 minutes! Your health is too important not to!