If you were given a Wellness Card, but are not sure what exactly it's good for, it's actually a pretty cool concept (from an insurance company, I know!) Basically, it's a $250 preloaded credit card to be used on things that promote wellness, and not on medical expenses (or other expenses that have nothing to do with your health at all.) For instance, if you tried to use it to pay for gas for your car or at a restaurant, your charge would get denied and the card wouldn't work. It's also doesn't cover medical expenses, which I found out when I tried to use it for my allergy shots. What it CAN be used for is massages, acupuncture, chiropractic, gym memberships, I use mine at my local health food store, and now you can also use it on your Shakeology!
Depending on what kind of health insurance you have, I may have some GREAT news for you!! If you live in New York state and have a participating Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plan that provides you with a Wellness Card, you may be able to use your Wellness Card for your Shakeology!
If you were given a Wellness Card, but are not sure what exactly it's good for, it's actually a pretty cool concept (from an insurance company, I know!) Basically, it's a $250 preloaded credit card to be used on things that promote wellness, and not on medical expenses (or other expenses that have nothing to do with your health at all.) For instance, if you tried to use it to pay for gas for your car or at a restaurant, your charge would get denied and the card wouldn't work. It's also doesn't cover medical expenses, which I found out when I tried to use it for my allergy shots. What it CAN be used for is massages, acupuncture, chiropractic, gym memberships, I use mine at my local health food store, and now you can also use it on your Shakeology!
The picture below was taken from the BCBS Wellness Card benefits page which you can find HERE.
So what does this mean for you? If you've been on the fence about using Shakeology, please check out my blog "Is Shakeology Really Worth It?" and send me a message! I can help choose the flavor you'd like and also help you get started with a workout and meal plan to get you seeing the best results possible!
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Let's be real... those Shakeology bags are a b*tch to scoop from. And forget about trying to get every last bit! So Scott came up with this super simple way to be a able to get the most out of your bags of Shakeology. (It's actually so simple that I never thought to post about it, but every time someone sees this container in a pic I get messages about it.)
You can also purchase Shakeology containers HERE, but this is great for the DIY'er. Scott's favorite Shakeology recipe
For all you 21-Day Fix'ers, this breaks down to:
Enjoy! We'd love to hear what your favorite Shakeology recipe is. Be sure to post it in the comments below! Ahh! I just came back from the most amazing trip and I seriously can't believe it's over! For those of you who don't know, every year, Beachbody holds it's annual Coach Summit, a 3 day event cram packed with workouts with celebrity trainers like Tony Horton, Chalene Johnson, Autumn Calabrese and Shaun T, motivational speakers like Darren Hardy and Diana Nyad, training seminars to help coaches learn how to become better leaders, and celebrity style VIP parties at night. It's also when the newest Beachbody programs and products are released to the coaches, so keep reading to see everything that went on this past week in Las Vegas! First I want to start with my team, Team Pure Synergy. I don't do what I do by myself. I am surrounded by an AMAZING team of coaches that all work together to help others. Some of them are local to me (Buffalo, NY), but most are scattered all around both the US and Canada, so it was pretty amazing to be meeting some of the coaches from my team for the first time in person and not behind a facebook message or video chat. There were over 20 coaches from Team Pure Synergy at Coach Summit this year from places including New York, Alabama, Virginia, North Carolina, Connecticut, Texas, Washington, Florida, Vancouver and Winnipeg. We got to do live workouts with the trainers, including this 90 minute Super Workout with Shaun T, Tony Horton, Joel and Jericho from Les Mills Pump & Combat, Autumn Calabrese and Chalene Johnson. There were celebrity style VIP parties at night where we got to hang out with Chalene Johnson and Leandro from Brazil Butt Lift. We even got to hang out with Darin Olien, the co-creator of Shakeology, and Carl Daikeler, Beachbody's CEO. A huge goal of my was to walk on stage at Summit this year, and I was able to achieve that and be recognized for my work with coaching over the past year. (And of course, I stopped to take a selfie once I was there. :) ) As exciting as all of this was, there were also a few HUGE announcements that came out this year. 1. PiYo For all you Chalene Johnson lovers, this is going to completely make your day! PiYo gives you hardcore definition, intense calorie burn, and allover strength, without weights, without jumps, and without destroying your body. It's a 60 day program, and I just started Day 1 this week, so be on the look out for my updates! I'll also have a private accountability group starting July 7th where I'll be helping 5 people through the program and giving them the support they need. If you'd like to join this PiYo group, fill out the application HERE. 2. 3-Day Refresh This one was a complete secret! The 3-Day Refresh is a 3-day program that helps you break bad nutrition habits, drop a few pounds fast and get back on track. It comes with everything you need, and also an entire month of Shakeology. For the 3-Day Refresh you have one Shakeology with fruit for breakfast, a fiber mix (included) as a morning snack, a vanilla protein shake with an approved healthy fat and veggie for lunch, another healthy fat and veggie for an afternoon snack, and a 2nd vanilla shake with your choice of dinner from the recipes provided. I'm just finishing up my 3-Day Refresh tomorrow and I will be sure to post my results! Check out the hashtag #SynergyRefresh on Instagram and facebook if you'd like to follow along. I'll also be running a group for this, here's where you can fill out that application. 3. The 21-Day Fix in Spanish The 21-Day Fix is now available in Spanish, and is also on sale through the end of July. 4. Shakeology in a clinical trial Shakeology was recently put through a rigorous 90-day clinical trial. The results came back to show that Shakeology has now been clinically proven to help lower your weight, lower your cholesterol levels, lower your blood sugar levels and keep you full. You can see the results of this study in the video below. 5. Challenge App The same app that was used in Shakeology's clinical trial will soon be available to you to help track your progress and stay connected with your coach (me!) 6. P90 A brand new Tony Horton workout is set to be released this fall. P90 is a complete workout program to help get people started on their journey to fitness. The workouts are 30 minutes and anyone can modify it and do the moves and see great results. As you can see, we had an absolutely amazing time! I can't wait until our annual Coach Summit next year... we're going to Nashville!!! Sometimes I'm completely blown away that this is actually my full time job. I get to help people get fit and reach their goals, meet some amazing people, have fun and travel while doing it. It's my DREAM JOB! If you think you'd be a good fit for Team Synergy's growing team of coaches and would like more information on how you can turn your passion into your career, message me here and I'll contact you to see if it would be a good fit for you!
Oh my gosh this couldn't have come at a better time. My husband is a genius! I'm going to be traveling a lot these next two weeks, and staying on track with nutrition while traveling is hard enough as it is, especially when you can't get through security with a bottle of water to mix with your Shakeology. And then, these. These amazing little chocolate cakes of superfood goodness. Not only are they super easy to make, they're also super healthy, 21-Day Fix approved and only use TWO ingredients! (Ok, three if you count water.) All you need to make these is chocolate Shakeology (we use vegan chocolate) and ripe bananas. Chocolate Superfood Cake bars 4 scoops chocolate Shakeology 2 ripe bananas water (just enough to mix) Makes 4 servings (for my 21-Day Fixer's, they're one red and one purple each) Mash 2 ripe bananas with a fork. Add 4 scoops of chocolate Shakeology to the banana mixture. Mix banana mixture and chocolate Shakeology, adding just enough water to blend. Line a small Tupperware container with parchment paper. Press mixture into container to form. Flip Tupperware container over to remove mixture and cut into 4 squares. Dehydrate overnight on low temp to preserve the nutrients in Shakeology. I told you they were easy! Enjoy! :)
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!
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!) There's been a lot of talk about Shakeology in my challenge groups lately so I wanted to write a post to explain both HOW I feel about Shakeology and WHY I feel the way I do. I will start this by saying that yes, I am a Beachbody coach. Yes, I get paid for selling Shakeology. I also get paid for selling a plethora of other nutritional supplements, meal replacements, vitamins, nutritionals, bars, etc. through Beachbody. But, I bet you didn't know that. Why? Because I don't use them myself. When I started coaching, doing this as a full time job was the last thing on my mind. You see, I am a Beachbody coach, first and foremost, because I want to HELP people. If I wouldn't use a product myself, I'm not going to recommend it to others. If I believe a product is going to improve your health and get you the best results possible, you're going to hear about it. A lot. Am I going to push it on you? No. When you tell me you want to get the best results ever am I going to recommend it? Hell yes! Because my ultimate goal is to help people, I also don't require people to be using Shakeology, or to even doing a Beachbody workout, to be in my challenge group, which a lot of other coaches do. I'm here to support you no matter what workout you're doing and no matter what your diet looks like. Which brings me to my next topic, taste. I know I don't exactly eat like everyone else, but I seriously LOVE the taste of Shakeology. I started using vegan tropical Shakeology when it first came out in early 2012, and in June 2012 when vegan chocolate Shakeology came out I added that flavor in, also. The first week or so, I'll admit, the vegan chocolate had a "green" taste to it, but you know what? I still loved it! You know why? Because I knew just what was in it and what it was doing for my body. When you stop looking at foods as "pleasure items" and start looking at them as what they're meant to be, FUEL FOR YOUR BODY, your thoughts and tastes change. I stopped eating cheese and dairy 4 years ago this month. Literally if you had told me one month before that that I'd never eat it again, I would have thought you had lost your mind. I get asked all the time how hard it is and if I crave it, and honestly, it's so much easier than I ever would have thought for one single reason, I educated myself to the benefits. That's it! When you EDUCATE YOURSELF TO THE BENEFITS of the food you're putting in your body (or not putting in your body!) you begin to look at it in a whole new light. Cheese didn't turn into an "I CAN'T eat that but I want it" food, it turned into an "I could eat it if I wanted, but I know the health benefits of NOT eating it" food. That's the same with Shakeology (only I still swear it tastes great!) When you educate yourself to the benefits of Shakeology, you look forward to it. You know you're NOURISHING YOUR BODY. You know you're taking that extra step toward your health and your results. If you're looking for a milkshake, go have a milkshake. If you're looking for great tasting nutrition, then have a Shakeology! When you educate yourself to the benefits, you slowly start to see just what is in Shakeology. There are numerous other "health shakes" on the market, too many to count, that probably cost a lot less and taste a lot better. If you're only looking for taste and cost, then by all means, buy them! BUT, when you truly put your HEALTH first, and flip over the bag of Shakeology and COMPARE it to the rest of the shakes that are out on the market, you'll very quickly see that there is NO comparison. I can't stress this enough, there is no other whole foods meal replacement shake on the market that even comes close to the nutrition you get from Shakeology. That's it. Shakeology has over 70 superfoods, antioxidants, wheatgrass, maca, digestive enzymes, pre and probiotics, the list goes on. When's the last time you priced out wheatgrass, maca, digestive enzymes or probiotics? If you were to buy just those four ingredients separately to use daily you would already be spending well over what you'd spend on Shakeology in one month. And when's the last time you tasted wheatgrass or maca? Let me tell you, Scott and I have eaten some pretty nasty things in our day in the pursuit of health, including wheatgrass and maca. I get the shivers just smelling wheatgrass, and there is no concoction big enough that I've been able to make to mask the taste of maca in a smoothie. And you're telling me I can get both of these in Shakeology for a fraction of the cost AND it tastes great! You better believe I'm choosing Shakeology. And if it didn't taste as great as it does? With all those benefits, I'd still be crazy NOT to drink it. All this, and I haven't even gotten to the benefits yet! So many people see so many benefits when they use Shakeology DAILY. (Notice I said daily, NOT when you remember, not when it's convenient, DAILY.) This is why I don't give out Shakeology samples anymore, one try isn't going to tell you anything. You need to use it daily to see the benefits. Just like eating healthy or working out for one day isn't going to make you lose a year of weight gained, Shakeology also has a cumulative effect. Some results are going to be subtle. My hairdresser kept telling me for months how she couldn't believe how long and healthy my hair was getting. It wasn't until one day she said, "Ok, I've got to know! What hair vitamins are you taking?" Then it dawned on me, it was Shakeology! I've noticed my skin clear up, I have more energy, I don't have as many cravings. For others it's drastic. One of my challengers dropped her cholesterol by over 50 points once she started using Shakeology and working out with TurboFire. Others have been able to get off of prescription medications, including diabetes medications, lower their cholesterol and blood pressure, and improve their digestion. So, what's your health worth? What ARE you spending $4 a day on? Are you going out to eat for lunch? Are you stopping at Starbucks in the morning? Maybe you're not spending $4 a day, but what about $28 a week? Are you going out for drinks on the weekend? Are you getting a manicure or pedicure? Buying some new clothes? The price of Shakeology may seem like a lot up front, especially because when's the last time you bought 30 days worth of meals at one time, but I promise you, your health is worth it. YOU'RE WORTH IT! People are so quick to spend money on menial things that will be gone in no time, and will not effect their lives in any positive way in the long run. Forget about short term gratification. Stop putting a dollar sign on the importance of your health. VALUE YOUR HEALTH! Sorry if this was a little longer than most of my posts, but I really wanted to make sure you understand just what Shakeology is, and why I'm so passionate about it. If YOU'RE ready to INVEST IN YOUR HEALTH, comment below or message me here and I will get back to you asap and answer any other questions you may have about Shakeology! 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! |
JulieFormer esthetician & LMT turned #GIRLBOSS, vegan food & fitness, travel, beauty, FUN!! Veg-curious friendly ☀️👙🌴✌🏻️ Archives
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