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! 

As promised, here is my week 2 update for the 21-Day Fix! First of all, I seriously can't believe how fast this is going. Two weeks already! 

Since my first post, I've had a few people express concern over the size of the color coded food containers. Yes, they LOOK small, but trust me, they hold A LOT more food than you'd think! In fact, everyone in my 21-Day Fix accountability group has commented at some point that they're amazed at the amount of food they're able to eat on this plan, and still lose weight! That's because they're fueling their body with nutrient dense foods. 

This week I bumped myself up the the next  level of calories, which allows me a couple extra containers. I've also been experimenting a lot more with my food. I'm still doing a lot of smoothies and stir fry's, but I've also been adding other things like sushi, sweet potato and red pepper bisque, kale, quinoa and avocado salad and brownie bites. (Yes! Brownie bites!) Now that I'm in the swing of things, food prep has become second nature and I'm able to adapt some of my favorite recipes to fit the plan. 

This week was also the first week I used one of my "Zings", or substitutions. You're allowed three Zings a week, and they include wine, chocolate and there are even a few cookie recipes you can use. I was pretty boring and I used mine for soy milk in my decaf coffee. It's actually been an interesting two weeks, I haven't even wanted to cheat on the meal plan and I haven't had any cravings at all (which is TOTALLY not like me!) It's also been super easy to follow the meal plan using printable charts that can be found here. 

This week also came with some pretty EXCITING NEWS for VEGANS! This week we got the green light to add beans, lentils and quinoa to the red foods category! This news came at the perfect time, too. After two weeks of protein powders and tofu I feel like I've swallowed a brick! I'm also pretty happy I get to add some more fiber back into my diet. So this is what the updated vegan 21-Day Fix food list looks like!

I'm getting much better with the workouts, too. I'm getting the moves down, I'm not as sore, and I'm already seeing RESULTS!!! I can honestly say that I have never in my life worked my abs as much as I have this past week, which is good news because I'm heading on a Beachbody cruise in just four short weeks. After two weeks of doing the 21-Day Fix, I'm down 2.8 lbs, putting my total weight loss since Christmas at 9.4 lbs!

So now that I'm entering into my final week, a few things are going to change. First, I'm going to add in the Plyo Fix bonus workout. This is a free workout you get when you order through your coach (me!) and can be added in any time you feel like doing a little extra cardio, or you can use it to replace Cardio Fix, which is what I'll be doing at least one of the days. Second, I'll be switching over to the 3-Day Quick Fix meal plan for my final three days, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This is a 3-day bikini prep meal plan that is optional for your last 3 days of the 21-Day Fix. It is a typical competition meat and veggies diet, so I'll be pulling out the tofu and protein powders again for those three days. 

This week also came with some other great news! After the 21-Day Fix SOLD OUT only 3 days after being released, back orders started shipping this past weekend. If you'd like to learn how to FUEL YOUR BODY properly for optimal weight loss and energy, reserve your spot for my next facebook accountability group by messaging me on facebook or filling out the form found here and I will get back to you shortly! 

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!

I get asked this question a lot by people who are looking to start juicing, "What kind of juicer should I get?" First let me say that juicing and blending (smoothies) is different. There are pros and cons of each, I'll let you do your own research on that. But if you've decided to try juicing, this is the place to be! :) 

There are two basic categories of juicers, centrifugal and masticating. Deciding what kind of juicer to get depends a lot on what you'll be juicing. Questions to ask yourself are:

• Will I be juicing leafy greens? Wheatgrass?
• How important is time? How fast do I want my juicer to juice?
• How much time do I want to spend on prep work? Cleaning?
• How much money do I want to spend? 

Centrifugal juicers are great for people who are new to juicing. They're faster to juice, faster to clean, less expensive, and require less prep work. The opening shoot is larger so you can often fit an entire apple in it without having to cut it into smaller pieces first. They are great for harder produce like apples, carrots and beets, but they don't juice leafy greens as well. One way to juice leafy greens in a centrifugal juicer is to compact them into a tight ball, and add them between hard foods like apples and carrots. Juicing oranges and other soft produce can often create a lot of foam in your juice. It's also believed there is more nutrient loss with centrifugal juicers because of the grating action and high speed of spinning that occurs.

Masticating juicers have a much smaller opening, so food will need to be cut into smaller pieces before juicing. They're also much slower to produce juice, but can often produce more juice for the same amount of produce. They are great for juicing oranges and other citrus as well as leafy greens including wheatgrass. If you are planning on juicing wheatgrass, you can also get a hand crank wheatgrass juicer pretty inexpensive. 

Whether you choose a masticating or centrifugal juicer, one thing I like to do to get more juice is to run the pulp through the juicer once. For a centrifugal juicer, you can just ball up the pulp and run it back through the juicer, and for a masticating juicer I just send it back through the shoot. This doesn't work for wheatgrass juice, though, because wheatgrass pulp comes out pretty dry the first time through. I compost my pulp, but there are also recipes online to make raw, dehydrated crackers out of them, too. 

These are the three juicers that we have. I use our centrifugal juicer more because of the speed, and Scott uses our masticating juicer more because of the benefits. All orange juice is made in our masticating juicer, too, including our Nature's Kool Aid juice. 

Happy juicing! :) 

Chances are you've heard of both quinoa and tabbouleh before, but aren't really sure what either one is. Quinoa has gained popularity over the years, and was even featured in a recent NFL beer commercial. It's a complete protein and is a good source of fiber, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. It's also gluten-free. Tabbouleh is a middle eastern salad typically made with bulgur wheat. By using quinoa in this tabbouleh instead of bulgur, it's suitable for people who are eating gluten-free. 

1 cup dry quinoa, cooked according to package directions
1 cucumber, diced
3 roma tomatoes, diced
green onions, chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
handful fresh mint, chopped
juice from one lemon
sea salt

Cook quinoa according to package directions. Let cool, mix in all other ingredients. Variations: garlic, cinnamon, shredded carrots, olives

Serve in lettuce wraps. Makes 4 servings.  

Per serving:
Calories: 209
Total Fat: 2.8 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Total Carbs: 36.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.8 g
Protein: 8 g

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! 

Still trying to get in shape for summer? There's still time! You'll be bikini ready in no time with these AMAZING Summer Sizzler sales! These are available for a VERY limited time only, and once they're gone, THEY'RE GONE!

Because of these incredible deals, we'll be running another Ultimate Reset Challenge Group for the entire month of June. The Ultimate Reset is an amazing nutrition program that takes you through 21 days of clean eating and natural supplements to help your body naturally detox, and to help you learn how to eat properly. It's been so effective at helping people reduce their weight, cholesterol levels and blood sugar levels that it's even been published in a medical journal. 

Not sure what a Challenge Group is? A Challenge Group is a free, private, facebook group made up of other people doing the same workout or nutrition program as yourself. It's a place to go for support, motivation and any questions you may have. People who are in Challenge Groups are 20% more likely to stick to a program (and I actually believe that number is a lot higher!) and they also experience better results! 

And, it just keeps getting better! For the ENTIRE month of June, Les Mills Combat Challenge Packs are on sale for $20 off. That gets you one month of Shakeology (the healthiest meal of the day!), one month of Club Membership (which gives you access to Eat Smart, an online nutrition planner), the Les Mills Combat workout and FREE shipping! That's a total savings of over $70 if you were to buy everything separately!

Make this the summer you vow to ditch the cover-up at the beach! Please email us asap if you have any questions. These deals are going to go fast!