The Importance of Accountability

I have just finished my second week of Insanity. This is the second time I've done the program and I'm finding it just as challenging and rewarding as the first time through! Everyday I am facing a new physical challenge, but I am persevering. One thing that is helping tremendously is accountability. I'm am working my way through this round with a couple of friends. Each morning we get together to push and encourage each other. Without them I would really be struggling to get out there each morning and get my workout done. Accountability is such a motivator. Once someone else knows and shares your plan for fitness it is hard to make excuses or back out. I want to encourage each of you to find an accountability partner. Make a commitment to one another to either work out together or check in with one another on a regular basis to see if you are making progress.  A great place to find accountability is in a Challenge group. I have new groups starting each month and would love for you to be a part of one! If you are interested, head over to my fitness page on Facebook and click LIKE! Contact me with any questions you may have!

Have a fit and healthy day,

Melissa

Staying Fit Through the Holidays

It's so important during this tempting season to continue to remind yourself of ways to stay fit and healthy. When the treats call your name from the break room, or you find yourself at yet another holiday party, remember these tips to stay on track. -Write down what you eat. You are less likely to put a third cookie in your mouth if you have to write it down and be held accountable for it.

-Eat before parties. If you know you will be heading out to a party with lots of treats, eat a healthy meal before hand so you will feel satisfied and less likely to over indulge with sweets.

-Offer to bring a healthy option. There are so many great recipes out there for healthy snacking. You don't have to bring a dessert to a party- opt instead for a healthy dip or veggies.

Most importantly this season, don't stop exercising! It's so easy to use the holidays as an excuse to take a break, but you will find that it will be so much harder to start back up if you stop. Keep pushing and don't give up this holiday season!!!

LOSE Weight in December!

The holidays present plenty of opportunities to indulge. But, you can still shed the pounds in December. All you have to do is replace one meal a day with Shakeology! You will be shocked to see that you can actually lose weight this way.

(click on the photo to order NOW!)

Shakeology is a daily nutritional shake that helps your body gently eliminate toxins more efficiently while allowing for better absorption of the essential nutrients you need. A proprietary blend of digestive enzymes and prebiotics helps your body progressively eliminate the toxins that build up over time from eating today's highly processed foods.

At the same time, whole-food ingredients deliver the essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals your body needs to curb cravings, allowing your body to shed stored fat while the more than 20 different antioxidants and phytonutrients help reduce free radical damage that can lead to heart disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, and stroke.

So, don't let the holidays be an excuse! Use the month of December to "shake" away the weight!!

Inspiration to Motivate YOU!

Thanksgiving has passed. It's time to continue the work you've been doing on transforming your life- physically and mentally. To get you motivated, here are a few success stories from Beachbody Challenge winners. Let their success be an encouragement to keep going!! Simply click on the photo below to see their amazing pics and read their stories.

Black Friday Event

Rumor has it there will be a huge Black Friday Sale Event this week! I can't wait to share all the details with you! Stay tuned for more info and how to take advantage of the awesome deals!

Dieting Myths

Making the decision to become healthier is exciting but getting started can be difficult. There are so many different ways to incorporate fitness and clean eating into your life that it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Beachbody offers a host of great workouts that you can do right from your home- INSANITY, TurboFire, P90X and P90X2. They also offer great eating plans and dieting resources. One of those resources, the Beachbody Newsletter, has a great article on some of the most common dieting myths. These are the ones that stuck out to me: :

1. It's organic...it must be healthy. Organic foods are great and you should try to eat them as much as possible. But, just because it is organic doesn't mean that it is good for you. Organic simply means that it does not contain or been produced using antibiotics, growth hormones, conventional pesticides, and synthetic ingredients. But, no matter how organic a cookie is, it's still just a cookie. The calories don't magically disappear in organic foods, so be careful!

2. Order a salad if you don't know what you should eat. This myth can be a good option in many scenarios, but again you have to be careful to know what you are ordering. Salads slathered with creamy dressings and topped with bacon, eggs, candied nuts, etc are not a healthy choice. It's best to go with dressing on the side and only fresh veggie toppings.

3. Avoid snacking on fruit- it's just sugar. Yes, fruit contains sugar. But it also contains antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. A candy bar doesn't offer any of those! So, while sugar can be an enemy to you weight loss, fruit is the perfect alternative to junk!

To see the full list of myths, head over here!

Sleep: How You Can Get Enough

The holidays are upon us, and for most people, the biggest battle to fight is going to be against the enormous temptation to overeat. But, there is another, more silent threat to your health during the holidays: sleeplessness. This foe can come in many forms...stress over shopping or looming deadlines before vacation, the kids being home during the day and wanting to stay up all night, and of course the holiday parties that end late.

So, in preparation of this sleepless season, here are some great tips to help ensure a good night's sleep. And the best thing is that these tips can and should be applied to your life year round. Sleep is such a necessary part of a healthy lifestyle!

1. Exercise. It's so tempting to skip out on workouts during the holidays. But, exercise actually helps prepare your body for a good night's sleep.

2. Keep Things Quiet. Avoid falling asleep to the news or the Late Show. If necessary, invest in a good pair of earplugs!

3. Adjust the Lighting. Using blackout curtains or wearing a sleep mask can actually help you get better sleep by supporting your natural circadian rhythms.

4. Take a Bath. The bath helps to reset your body's internal temperature, allowing a period of cool down afterwards, which is the optimal time to sleep.

5. Time Your Caffeine. Try not to drink caffeine right before bed.

6. Try a Bedtime Drink. Warm milk with a pinch of cinnamon and cardamom might just do the trick.

7. Choice a Bedtime. And, stick to it! Your body needs the consistency in order to create good sleep patterns.

8. Try Some Aromatherapy. Lavender or chamomile are great herbs that calm and soothe our nervous systems. Try some oil in a bath or a scented candle as you wind down for the night.

It's Never Too Late to Start

Many people just don't know where to start when it comes to improving their health. Jumping into a workout can seem daunting, cutting back on favorite foods is easier said than done. While both fitness and eating right are essential to a healthy life, a great way to ease into the process is by using Shakeology. This patented daily nutritional shake helps your body gently eliminate toxins more efficiently while allowing for better absorption of the essential nutrients you need. Check out this comparison!

This great shake comes in three different flavors: Chocolate, Greenberry, and Tropical Strawberry. There is even a Chocolate Vegan option for those who prefer dairy free! We would love to get you started on this amazing product. It could be the first step in your fitness journey...and it's the easiest step you can take!

For more info on Shakeology, as well as success stories and statistics visit their site at www.shakeology.com. To order, simply click on the photo above!

Our Story- How Beachbody Transformed Our Lives

Robert and Melissa’s fitness journey is not that different from most people except for the fact that they have been doing it together. The whole thing started when Robert found P90X on the internet back in 2005. When Robert first told Melissa that he had bought it, she was not too happy. Feeling that he has just wasted their money, she challenged him to get the same results that others had. Well, that was just the challenge that Robert needed. In those first 90 days with P90X and following the nutrition guide, Robert experienced incredible results, including 18 pounds lost, 17% body fat lost and seven inches around his waist lost. But it wasn’t so much about all that was lost, it was more about all that he gained. He gained his self-esteem, his self-image and his “swagger” back! Well, once Melissa saw what the program did for Robert, she was a believer and as you can see from her 90 day results, the program worked just as good for her as it did for Robert. And since that first 90 days with P90X, Robert and Melissa have been working out together,  mixing in some other programs like P90X+, One-on-One, Insanity, Turbo Fire, ChaLEAN Extreme and more. Plus, with their daily Shakeology, they continue to maintain their healthy lifestyle and enjoy the opportunity to help others do the same as Independent Coaches for Team Beachbody.

Life has definitely been great for Robert and Melissa and they are excited to be able to help you get these types of results as well. Their coaching is free, just contact them.

Shakeology Tropical Strawberry has arrived!

Yes it's finally the long awaited day of Tropical Strawberry-ness we have all been eager for since we tasted it last year at summit 2011. Well wait no more!

This VEGAN shake, yes you read right. Vegan shake is the most delicious meal replacement shake you will ever have. With flavors such as coconuts, papayas, pineapples, bananas, strawberries, and much more super foods what's not to love about this 100% vegan, soy and dairy free shake.

Many people digest plant proteins better than animal proteins and Tropical Strawberry Shakeology contains vitamins and nutrients your body craves in a more readily assimilable form to keep you strong, healthy, lean, and focused. It will without  a doubt help you: LOSE WEIGHT, REDUCE CRAVINGS, STAY REGULAR, FEEL ENERGIZED, EXPERIENCE VITALITY!

What makes this shake so different is that for the first time ever, 100% Vegan is creamy and smooth.

The wizards behind the creation of Shakeology make this a smooth, gritt free vegan taste by blending ultra-fine, bio-fermented, raw sprouted brown rice protein with sacha inchi, quinoa, chia, flax, amaranth, and spirulina. so it will taste good and be even better for you.

Why you might ask? Because when a seed sprouts, it transitions from being dormant, to active, catapulting a metabolic explosion of nutrition. Vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants all skyrocket, creating more amazing stuff for your body. Sprouting also synthesizes healthy enzymes and increases the quality of proteins. And it reduces phytic acid, a substance that interferes with a body's ability to absorb minerals. Bio-fermenting further breaks down the rice rain, releasing enzymes to make it easier for your body to absorb it's vitamins and other nutrients.

The wonders of Sacha Inchi. It's high-quality, easily absorbable, organic vegetable protein is remarkable in so many ways. First, it's naturally rich in good fats and fiber, which helps control your appetite. It also helps promote the body's natural anti-inflammatory response to keep you healthy. And sacha ichi has a very high concentration of omega fatty acids--providing a perfect balance of omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9.

Sacha Inchi 

Whole foods are super important. All the key nutrients in this shake come from 100% whole foods. And what's so great about whole foods? Because they're unprocessed and unrefined, whole foods deliver vitamins and nutrients to your body in the most holisitc and easily assimilated way--the way nature intended.

With Superfoods comes great super nutrition. In Shakeology Strawberry Tropical they've added four new superfoods!

Coconut Flower Nectar -- High in potassium, magnesium, zinc, and iron; is a natural source of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 and C; AND contains 17 amino acids. It's also rich with inulin, a prebiotic fiber that feeds our intestinal flora and helps boost digestive and immune functions.

Luo Han Guo Fruit -- low glycemic fruit has been used as a powerful and healthy way to lend natural sweetness to foods in Asia for nearly a millennium. It's antioxidant properties help with immune health, and the fruit has also been used in Asia for medicinal purposes, such as respiratory support and to soothe sore throats.

Himalayan Salt -- our bodies need salt, but only the good kind. Because Himalayan salt is minimally processed, it contains more than 70 trace minerals from the Earth that our bodies need. Plus, it may help detoxify the blood and stabilize cells' pH balance.

Konjac Root -- when used as a soluble dietary fiber, this superfood helps promote healthy blood sugar levels, makes you feel quicker, promotes healthy cholesterol levels and helps clean the digestive tract of excess fat and toxins. 

We love Shakeology in every single flavor. I'm a bit of a chocolate nut myself, but I still love the flavor of Shakeology Strawberry Tropical. If you're interested or have any questions please let us know. We are always available and happy to help out.

To get yours just click the bag!

Sources: Shakeology, Beachbody