As I'm wrapping up my last few days of the 21-Day Fix, my challengers are just a few days behind me and are about to finish up their 2nd week. I wanted to share a few of their 7-11 day results, and I had planned on putting them in a picture collage, but as I was scanning our private facebook group today it became pretty clear pretty quick that I wasn't going to be able to fit all of the amazing results into just one little picture. So... does the 21-Day Fix work? I think these posts and pics from my challengers speak for themselves! (FYI, the pics were posted ONLY after getting permission from both Jess and Andrea. As always, what happens in my private groups, stays private!) And the best part... these results are all from only 7-11 days. Just think of how AMAZING their results are going to be after the full 21 days! 

My next 21-Day Fix group will be starting in just a couple short weeks, and like the others, it will fill up fast! If you'd like to lose up to 10-15 lbs in 21 days, learn not only what to eat, but how much to eat, and finally take control of your nutrition and portion control, reserve your spot for my next group here or send me a message on facebook! 

We have ANOTHER $500 daily winner on Team Synergy!!! I can't say enough how proud of Melanie I am. She is a busy flight attendant, coach and newlywed, who despite being away from home for stretches of time still manages to get her workouts in and take control of her nutrition. No excuses! These are Melanie's winning results from doing the Ultimate Reset 21-day cleanse 2 months ago! 

"Before I did the Ultimate Reset, I felt sluggish, bloated, and just very uncomfortable. I felt weighed down. Totally bloated like a blob. I'm a coach, so I was active enough, and I eat relatively healthy enough, but I just kept losing—and gaining—the same 7 pounds. My weight loss hit a plateau, and I was tired of putting in the workout effort without seeing results. 

Plus, I just couldn’t catch up on my rest. I would fall asleep pretty fast, but I could never seem to get a good night’s sleep. Luckily, a bunch of the other coaches had mentioned that they did the Beachbody Ultimate Reset and got awesome results. When they told me that they tried it because they were experiencing the same problems I had—low energy, irregular digestion, poor sleeping patterns—I started thinking about giving the Ultimate Reset a try.

Luckily, a Reset Challenge Group was just getting started, so I said, ‘why not’ and joined. I knew a Challenge Group would help me stay accountable and give me the chance to work with other people going through the Reset at the same time. (I can’t tell you how much it helped to have 5 friends for the 21 days.)

Over the course of the Reset, I started to feel a lot more energized—almost from the beginning—with natural energy that seemed to be constant, with no ups or downs. I was feeling a lot less sluggish and noticed that I was sleeping more solid through the entire night. And yes, my “regularity” improved, too. I started to feel much lighter and a whole lot less bloated.

That was a relief, but I also started to see the definition in my body that the bloating had hidden. That was definitely a turning point for me. I finally lost those pounds I kept losing and gaining, and I was able to lose an additional 6 inches, as well.

Since completing the Reset, I feel totally revitalized. I’m ready to add a new workout program and I’m ready to keep losing more weight now that I know a better way to eat clean. I’m excited. Before doing the Reset, I ate what tasted good. Now I know what my body needs as fuel, and I have now found new foods to fuel me properly that taste great too. 

In fact, I feel so much better that I plan to do an annual Reset every year to make sure my body—and my metabolism—are running optimally."

If you're interested in taking control of your health and joining our next challenge group, sign up here! 

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! 

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! 

Curious about Challenge Groups? A lot of you have probably seen either Scott or myself posting on facebook or Instagram about our Challenge groups, but you might not be sure what exactly they are. So, I'm here to explain them to you... and just in time for January.. our HUGE month of Challenge Groups!

People who participate in Challenge Groups have 20% better results and are more likely to stick with their workout program than those who don't. Why??? Support, Motivation and Accountability! 

Challenge Groups are small, private facebook accountability groups made up of people who are all doing the same workout or nutrition program. Their privacy is set to "secret" which not only means that no one outside of the group can see what goes on inside the group, it means that the groups won't even show up in searches and none of your facebook friends will even know they exist.

They are made up of about 5-10 people who all have one goal in mind, to get healthy! 

Challenge Groups are free to join, you only pay for your workout program and Shakeology!

Participants are asked to check in daily by posting their workouts, questions, struggles, highs and lows, and Scott and I and the other Team Legacy coaches will be there to help you every step of the way. Great friendships have been formed in these groups as the groups almost become a second family!

If you're thinking of joining one of our Challenge Groups don't wait any longer! Spots are filling up fast. 

90 days from now you will be glad you did!

I'm so excited to share this! Yesterday, I log on to teambeachbody.com to log my workout and what do I see??? This!!!

See that guy on the right? The one right next to the Shakeology fudge bars... the one who now has energy for his kids??? Well..... he just won $500 for his transformation! So you're thinking, "OK, good for him, what does that have to do with me and why am I so excited?" Here's why.... Herb was in my very first challenge group ever! (Proud Mamma!) The funny thing is, Herb had never planned on being in my challenge group. You see, his wife came home one day and said, "I'm going to do Power 90 and I want you to do it with me", so they ordered a Challenge Pack and got to work!

Herb pushed play every day and made NO excuses. He has 3 young boys (including a set of twins), he works full time, he's in a band... he even travels to China for work and brought his DVD's and resistance bands with him when he traveled! Another key factor in his transformation was his diet. He started drinking Shakeology every day and quit his night time ice cream binges, which also helped lower his cholesterol. 

He also credits his transformation with the support and motivation he got from being in my private facebook Challenge Group, saying he felt "naughty" if he didn't post his daily workout in the group. 

You can check out the entire Beachbody article on Herb's transformation here.

If you're ready to take control of your health and would like to be in one of my facebook Challenge Groups please let me know! I have one ongoing group that you can be added to at any time, and I also run program-specific groups, too (where everyone in the group starts the same program on the same day). I can even start challenge groups for groups of friends, family or coworkers for those interested. 

So, who's going to be the next $500 Beachbody Challenge winner???