It's a total mind game. Your brain can definitely talk you out of doing a lot of things you know you should do that are good for you. I know I feel like I *want* to believe that I "can't" do things now that I am pregnant. And after the rough first trimester I had, I wanted to keep believing that I still "can't." But that just simply isn't true.
If you are like are me, and have been listening to this voice that is telling you that you "can't," well, it's time to HIT STOP on that negative tape in your head. I am now a week into my second trimester, and I am out of the woods of "all day nausea that makes you want to pass out." It was a pretty dark place but I see the light now. I no longer think throughout the day how terrible I feel and it's ok not to do anything but just manage the house and kids. I am getting my strength and my energy back. But I was in such a bad habit pattern of laying on the couch for so many weeks. I was going to let another day get away from me and just believe "I can't." But then I said, no, that's not really how I feel. I actually feel pretty good, maybe not 100% but a huge improvement from where I was. It was slow to come to my brain to say NO to the "can't thoughts" and say YES to the "can thoughts." It's like the Nina Simone song, "Feeling Good" and "It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me and I'm feeling good."
Then I #flippedtheswitch. I said "I can and I am going to try." So I stuck in a pregnancy cardio dvd and I hit play. My four year old and nineteen month old were home, so was I interrupted? Yes, several times. But I was an old pro of quickly fixing the problems and hitting play within a minute or two. And I kept going and I was getting my heart rate up and using my muscles again and feeling a little bit like my old self. It was really good to review exactly what it was that I {can} do while I am pregnant. And about 20 minutes into the workout, I gained my confidence back that had been missing for weeks and weeks. "I CAN do this," I kept thinking. It wasn't hard, in fact, it was pretty good. Even though in the back of my mind I have an "excuse clause" for exercising that if I am not liking it after 15-20 minutes, that I can stop and regroup again the next day. But my confidence grew like the Grinch's heart on Christmas and I made it all the way to the 40 minute mark, which is something that is usually hard for me to do normally NOT pregnant.
What is the moral of the story here? As a health and fitness coach, I listen to people tell me all the time how they "just can't" for whatever reason. Not enough time, no money, too stressed, no support, too hard. I want to tell you to HIT STOP on that negative tape and stop believing the lies. I have more excuses than anybody not to exercise and just "lie low" for the next 6 months with my 4th pregnancy and 3 children 5 and under. Nope, not going to happen. It's time to BELIEVE that you CAN. Because it is true. You really can focus on your health and make it a priority. Stop believing excuses and put one foot in front of the other to move forward, even just one tiny baby step toward your goal.
I believe in you. I believe in me. I know WE CAN DO THIS. Let's go!
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
80/20 & Keeping it real with Shakeology
I have often given the advice to my challengers when to eat healthy and when to splurge that they should follow the 80/20 rule. That means if you eat good 80% of the time, that it is ok to splurge 20% of the time. The problem with this is the same lie that most Americans say to themselves: "Oh, I eat pretty healthy and don't splurge that much." If we put that to the test: the test in which you wrote down EVERY SINGLE THING YOU PUT IN YOUR MOUTH FOR ONE WEEK...the results would probably stun you into silence. (Please download My Fitness Pal, a free calorie counter app on your smart phone & find me as a friend on it to share your menu with me.) You really do have to do the math and figure out what the splurge can be and how often. And with American standards, you need to calculate the portion size because we supersize everything all the time.
For example, last week was Halloween. I like many others, definitely nibbled on some chocolate (Reeses are my weakness.) With the 80/20 rule, that means that I could probably have 1 Reeses a day for a week, provided that I ate healthy the ENTIRE REST of the time. What happens is a little slip here (such as an extra slice of bread) or a slip there (putting a double portion of dinner) there. Or for goodness sake, you had to "eat on the run" whether you grabbed a "bad easy snack" or you hit the drive thru that week, you just blew the 80/20 rule and you are more like 70/30 or 60/40. If you were to grade your self on eating well (that's the teacher in me,) you are now at a C- or D/F. Is that what you want for your body? I hope not. I would hope I am a "B or better" because I know I can.
So what do I do? Lately, I have been battling my worst snack time: after the kids go to bed. So I have been drinking my Shakeology with dinner (or for dinner on days when the nausea is bad) or I make it after they go to bed. I usually make the Vegan Chocolate and add a little peanut butter and then it tastes like a Reeses to me. And it helps me avoid eating popcorn (my #1 vice at night) or some other nibbly or pregnancy craving (which has been lemonade this pregnancy.) This is what I am doing to get through and make sure I don't sabotage my hard work during the day or all week. Because believe you me, I can probably finish the whole bag of Reeses by myself in one sitting...almost.
But before I end, let me say one thing. I grew up enjoying food and I believe food is meant to be enjoyed and shared and celebrated. So when you do have the 20% splurge, enjoy it and feel no guilt especially when it is your birthday, anniversary or other special occasion. My birthday was last month and I feel no guilt that I had my favorite breakfast, eggs benedict. But I will tell you this: I only have it on my birthday or Mother's Day because I follow the 80/20 rule and I love to enjoy the 20 when it is "treat time." Enjoy your treat time when you have earned the 20%. I promise you that it really tastes much better.
For example, last week was Halloween. I like many others, definitely nibbled on some chocolate (Reeses are my weakness.) With the 80/20 rule, that means that I could probably have 1 Reeses a day for a week, provided that I ate healthy the ENTIRE REST of the time. What happens is a little slip here (such as an extra slice of bread) or a slip there (putting a double portion of dinner) there. Or for goodness sake, you had to "eat on the run" whether you grabbed a "bad easy snack" or you hit the drive thru that week, you just blew the 80/20 rule and you are more like 70/30 or 60/40. If you were to grade your self on eating well (that's the teacher in me,) you are now at a C- or D/F. Is that what you want for your body? I hope not. I would hope I am a "B or better" because I know I can.
So what do I do? Lately, I have been battling my worst snack time: after the kids go to bed. So I have been drinking my Shakeology with dinner (or for dinner on days when the nausea is bad) or I make it after they go to bed. I usually make the Vegan Chocolate and add a little peanut butter and then it tastes like a Reeses to me. And it helps me avoid eating popcorn (my #1 vice at night) or some other nibbly or pregnancy craving (which has been lemonade this pregnancy.) This is what I am doing to get through and make sure I don't sabotage my hard work during the day or all week. Because believe you me, I can probably finish the whole bag of Reeses by myself in one sitting...almost.
But before I end, let me say one thing. I grew up enjoying food and I believe food is meant to be enjoyed and shared and celebrated. So when you do have the 20% splurge, enjoy it and feel no guilt especially when it is your birthday, anniversary or other special occasion. My birthday was last month and I feel no guilt that I had my favorite breakfast, eggs benedict. But I will tell you this: I only have it on my birthday or Mother's Day because I follow the 80/20 rule and I love to enjoy the 20 when it is "treat time." Enjoy your treat time when you have earned the 20%. I promise you that it really tastes much better.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Carb Coma & Shakeology
So this pregnancy has been my most challenging one to date. To describe the extreme nausea and fatigue is just indescribable. I am generally one of those happy pregnant women, who love the "glow" and the rounding of the belly and feeling the kicks from the little one inside. The side effects this time have really taken a toll. Lately, I have been saying to people, "I worked my other three pregnancies. I am so glad I work from home now because I cannot imagine standing on my feet all day, teaching, doing lab, grading a stack of papers and feeling this way." The nausea lasts all day, from when I wake up to when I go to bed and sometimes, I am sleeping and I still feel nauseous. And the fatigue that has set in has me very acquainted with my couch and what I can get done from my couch.
One this that has been killing me is that I am turning to carbs to help ease my nausea, as that is the most prescribed antidote for pregnant women with nausea. At first, it was saltines and rye toast. And I mean like an entire ROW of crackers and call that a meal. And when I had one really bad week, I finished a small loaf of rye bread (toast) in about 2 days. What I realize now is that this caused a huge imbalance in my diet and that it was totally ok to just eat for comfort to help with my symptoms. But I will tell you this: though the queasiness was eased, so was my energy. It felt like I could do nothing, concentrate on nothing and barely just get by in my days. What was shocking for me was I had been eating clean for about an year and half with a great healthy diet plan that I finally found worked for me and my body. Once I turned to the carbs in this pregnancy, my brain went into a fog and I got done less than half and mostly a quarter of what I used to be able to do. I also gained the most weight in the first trimester for this pregnancy than I did in all three pregnancies combined. My only saving grace is that my starting weight this time was in the medically deemed "healthy zone." The last three pregnancies I was starting out in the "obese zone."
What has helped me? Since my cooking skills (mostly due to smells) went out the window, I really relied on my Shakeology to help me through these tough times. Veggies, whether raw or cooked, were some of the things that turned me off the most, which is ironic since I was eating 3 cups of veggies a day prior to my pregnancy. (I almost yakked in the A & P produce section one day because the fresh produce literally smelled like dirt to me.) My symptoms usually worsened throughout the day, so I switched from having my Shakeology with my lunch (sometime between 10am-2pm) to now having it at 4pm or later. I struggle to get through dinner, just to cook something for the kids, let alone eat dinner myself. But having Shakeology to fill me up and taste so yummy when everything really lost its appeal to me was a life saver. With this month of October almost be renamed National Chocolate month as it was everywhere I went, I was so glad to drink my Vegan Chocolate Shakeology. For at least one meal a day I knew I was getting some balanced nutrition. And as I am in the last weeks of my first trimester, now I save my Shakeology for my dessert after the kids go to bed (which also helps because if I make my vegan chocolate, Noah, my 18 month old, absolutely needs to drink half of my shake with me.)
Looking forward to getting out of my carb coma as this first trimester comes to close in the next few weeks. And thank God for my Shakeology so I can enjoy something good for me and great tasting.
One this that has been killing me is that I am turning to carbs to help ease my nausea, as that is the most prescribed antidote for pregnant women with nausea. At first, it was saltines and rye toast. And I mean like an entire ROW of crackers and call that a meal. And when I had one really bad week, I finished a small loaf of rye bread (toast) in about 2 days. What I realize now is that this caused a huge imbalance in my diet and that it was totally ok to just eat for comfort to help with my symptoms. But I will tell you this: though the queasiness was eased, so was my energy. It felt like I could do nothing, concentrate on nothing and barely just get by in my days. What was shocking for me was I had been eating clean for about an year and half with a great healthy diet plan that I finally found worked for me and my body. Once I turned to the carbs in this pregnancy, my brain went into a fog and I got done less than half and mostly a quarter of what I used to be able to do. I also gained the most weight in the first trimester for this pregnancy than I did in all three pregnancies combined. My only saving grace is that my starting weight this time was in the medically deemed "healthy zone." The last three pregnancies I was starting out in the "obese zone."
What has helped me? Since my cooking skills (mostly due to smells) went out the window, I really relied on my Shakeology to help me through these tough times. Veggies, whether raw or cooked, were some of the things that turned me off the most, which is ironic since I was eating 3 cups of veggies a day prior to my pregnancy. (I almost yakked in the A & P produce section one day because the fresh produce literally smelled like dirt to me.) My symptoms usually worsened throughout the day, so I switched from having my Shakeology with my lunch (sometime between 10am-2pm) to now having it at 4pm or later. I struggle to get through dinner, just to cook something for the kids, let alone eat dinner myself. But having Shakeology to fill me up and taste so yummy when everything really lost its appeal to me was a life saver. With this month of October almost be renamed National Chocolate month as it was everywhere I went, I was so glad to drink my Vegan Chocolate Shakeology. For at least one meal a day I knew I was getting some balanced nutrition. And as I am in the last weeks of my first trimester, now I save my Shakeology for my dessert after the kids go to bed (which also helps because if I make my vegan chocolate, Noah, my 18 month old, absolutely needs to drink half of my shake with me.)
Looking forward to getting out of my carb coma as this first trimester comes to close in the next few weeks. And thank God for my Shakeology so I can enjoy something good for me and great tasting.
Friday, October 24, 2014
Shakeology & Pregnancy
So in the past 24 hours, since I announced my pregnacy with child #4, I have had several people ask me ("on the side") if I was still going to continue to coach and more importantly, was I still going to drink Shakeology. To answer that in a word: YES. And yes, I went to my midwife and she approved it whole heartedly, which I will relate the funny story about that as you read on.
But to answer your questions, of course I am still going to coach. I may modify what I am doing but I love working with my team, my clients and generally keeping myself and now my unborn baby healthy. Of course everyone knows how important it is to eat right and exercise while you are pregnant. And I am still drinking Shakeology, just about every day.
I will admit in full disclosure that this pregnancy has been one of my more challenging pregnancies. By about week 5, I have had SEVERE nausea, the kind that last all day, from when I wake up to when I go to bed at night. The kind of nausea that makes you curl up on the couch all day and you don't want to move for 12 hours. I remember being disappointed with the few times I dry heaved and wishing it was like my last pregnancy where I vomited daily for 14 weeks. I am on week 12 now and I now get two days a week (the other 5 are pretty bad still) where the nausea is just a few hours of the day, mostly around dinner time. Those are the days, I just can't cook but I choose to have my Shakeology for dinner and make something for the kids. My husband, sadly, has had to fend for himself many days, but thank God, he drinks Shakeology too. But Shakeology has definitely been a life saver because as I struggle with this first trimester, I know I am getting all my nutrients from a great source. Because my diet of saltines and toast just is not the greatest thing for my sweet baby.
So the funny story with my midwife was this: as I am sitting there on the table and updating her since I had my son 18 months ago, she keeps staring at me. I am asking her questions now about my nutrition (I was currently on the 21 Day Fix program and knew I needed to increase my calorie intake since I was pregnant.) She said, "I wish I could say I recognize you, but I don't." And I reminded her about Noah's birthstory (he was born in the car but she delivered his placenta when I arrived at the hospital.) "Yes, I read your chart and I remember that." So I said to her, "The last time you saw me, I weighed 233 lbs. I weigh 149 today. I became a health and fitness coach since I last saw you." "Wow. That is amazing." So I then went on to ask her about using Shakeology during my pregnancy since it was approved by another one of the midwives from the practice for nursing mothers. She took her time, reviewing the ingredients, and asking several questions, like how do I make it and do I meal replace with it. I generally drink Shakeology with my lunch, I told her. She said, this looks great. Every ingredient in there is natural and safe for you. She said, "You know, I just had a baby a few month ago, eight to be exact, I should look into this." I went on to tell her how I love Shakeology because I need the extra protein in my diet to help with my energy level, as well as it provides all the nutrition from these amazing superfoods that are in it. It has everything in it that I need that I know that I don't always get from my diet. And that is why I will be drinking Shakeology not only throughout my pregnancy but really, for the rest of my life.
So this blog will be modified with including my pregnancy, my weight gain, my triumphs and struggles and of course, next year, with my birth and my return to my pre-pre-pregnancy weight that I obtained this year. So glad to share this journey with you.
But to answer your questions, of course I am still going to coach. I may modify what I am doing but I love working with my team, my clients and generally keeping myself and now my unborn baby healthy. Of course everyone knows how important it is to eat right and exercise while you are pregnant. And I am still drinking Shakeology, just about every day.
I will admit in full disclosure that this pregnancy has been one of my more challenging pregnancies. By about week 5, I have had SEVERE nausea, the kind that last all day, from when I wake up to when I go to bed at night. The kind of nausea that makes you curl up on the couch all day and you don't want to move for 12 hours. I remember being disappointed with the few times I dry heaved and wishing it was like my last pregnancy where I vomited daily for 14 weeks. I am on week 12 now and I now get two days a week (the other 5 are pretty bad still) where the nausea is just a few hours of the day, mostly around dinner time. Those are the days, I just can't cook but I choose to have my Shakeology for dinner and make something for the kids. My husband, sadly, has had to fend for himself many days, but thank God, he drinks Shakeology too. But Shakeology has definitely been a life saver because as I struggle with this first trimester, I know I am getting all my nutrients from a great source. Because my diet of saltines and toast just is not the greatest thing for my sweet baby.
So the funny story with my midwife was this: as I am sitting there on the table and updating her since I had my son 18 months ago, she keeps staring at me. I am asking her questions now about my nutrition (I was currently on the 21 Day Fix program and knew I needed to increase my calorie intake since I was pregnant.) She said, "I wish I could say I recognize you, but I don't." And I reminded her about Noah's birthstory (he was born in the car but she delivered his placenta when I arrived at the hospital.) "Yes, I read your chart and I remember that." So I said to her, "The last time you saw me, I weighed 233 lbs. I weigh 149 today. I became a health and fitness coach since I last saw you." "Wow. That is amazing." So I then went on to ask her about using Shakeology during my pregnancy since it was approved by another one of the midwives from the practice for nursing mothers. She took her time, reviewing the ingredients, and asking several questions, like how do I make it and do I meal replace with it. I generally drink Shakeology with my lunch, I told her. She said, this looks great. Every ingredient in there is natural and safe for you. She said, "You know, I just had a baby a few month ago, eight to be exact, I should look into this." I went on to tell her how I love Shakeology because I need the extra protein in my diet to help with my energy level, as well as it provides all the nutrition from these amazing superfoods that are in it. It has everything in it that I need that I know that I don't always get from my diet. And that is why I will be drinking Shakeology not only throughout my pregnancy but really, for the rest of my life.
So this blog will be modified with including my pregnancy, my weight gain, my triumphs and struggles and of course, next year, with my birth and my return to my pre-pre-pregnancy weight that I obtained this year. So glad to share this journey with you.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Drinking Shakeology...FOREVER!!!
So when I started on this journey over a year ago, I kept thinking, I am going to do this until...and I couldn't set an end date. I didn't know exactly how much weight I wanted to lose. I knew that Shakeology was helping me on my journey. And once I shared that with a few friends and family members, I was so pleased to receive so much support and love. So I kept ordering Shakeology each month, and I kept losing about 10 lbs a month in the beginning, with 5lbs a month after that. And I thought, this is good so I am going to keep drinking Shakeology. I was so shy to tell anyone that I was drinking a shake to help me with weight loss. I could barely tell my husband. It took until I lost about 25 lbs. to say, yes, I drink Shakeology each and every day and it helped kick start my weight loss and helped me on my road to health and fitness. Why was I so shy? I don't know. Fear of rejection or judgment? Now, I could care less if someone thinks less of me because I drink Shakeology. I am so proud to drink it and let everyone know that Shakeology was the KEY to my weight loss transformation.
Then on September 30th, 2013, I made the big jump and said, "I would love to help other people with their health and fitness goals." And that is when I became a coach. Once I signed up to be a coach, I realized that Shakeology is the cornerstone of what helped me kick all my bad habits. Before, I used to say, "Oh, I am working out, that is how I lost the weight." That was only half the story. Drinking Shakeology, usually at lunchtime, helped my feel full, curbed my cravings, help me kick my coffee and sugar addiction and helped my body realize what good nutrition is. Now, that I have been a coach for a year, I can honestly say that my customers who joined me 100% with drinking Shakeology each and every day, in addition to changing poor nutrition habits and adding a healthy dose of exercise have seen the BEST results in my challenge groups. I have at least a dozen or more people who have lost 30+ lbs. lose the weight in a healthy and steady rate by doing this and now many are at their "healthy weight" and maintaining. This is where I have been for several months. Maintaining, which feels great. Who would think that I would have gotten back into a size 8 after 3 kids?
So now when people ask, "Are you still drinking Shakeology?" "Why, yes, of course! Are you still eating vegetables?" Of course you are and so am I. I am choosing to add my superfood dense nutrition protein drink, Shakeology, into my diet well... basically...forever. Because why would I choose to NOT consume something healthy for me?
Then on September 30th, 2013, I made the big jump and said, "I would love to help other people with their health and fitness goals." And that is when I became a coach. Once I signed up to be a coach, I realized that Shakeology is the cornerstone of what helped me kick all my bad habits. Before, I used to say, "Oh, I am working out, that is how I lost the weight." That was only half the story. Drinking Shakeology, usually at lunchtime, helped my feel full, curbed my cravings, help me kick my coffee and sugar addiction and helped my body realize what good nutrition is. Now, that I have been a coach for a year, I can honestly say that my customers who joined me 100% with drinking Shakeology each and every day, in addition to changing poor nutrition habits and adding a healthy dose of exercise have seen the BEST results in my challenge groups. I have at least a dozen or more people who have lost 30+ lbs. lose the weight in a healthy and steady rate by doing this and now many are at their "healthy weight" and maintaining. This is where I have been for several months. Maintaining, which feels great. Who would think that I would have gotten back into a size 8 after 3 kids?
So now when people ask, "Are you still drinking Shakeology?" "Why, yes, of course! Are you still eating vegetables?" Of course you are and so am I. I am choosing to add my superfood dense nutrition protein drink, Shakeology, into my diet well... basically...forever. Because why would I choose to NOT consume something healthy for me?
Thursday, July 17, 2014
If I Could Put Energy in a Bottle...
So last month I was talking about a lot of the ingredients of Shakeology. This month I think I will tell you a lot about my honest to goodness feelings and emotions that I have had about Shakeology in the past year. I am going to break it down to before and after & really compare my recovery from Megan's birth to Noah's birth, my 2nd and 3rd child.
After Megan was born, I had had a C-section and the recovery was pretty awful. I had pain from the incision for at least 8 weeks, at which time I was cleared to exercise but didn't. Oh, I tried. I signed up for Stroller Strides in my town, and I love the instructor who looked great after 4 c-sections herself. But she had to modify the modified version of me. I was in the 200+ lbs for the majority of that year. Maybe I bounced down in the 190s but not all that much. A great day was when I was 188 after cutting out snacks. I had returned to work and completely relied on coffee (with milk and 3 T of sugar) at least 2-3 times a day and I was definitely a snack-aholic. I remember co-workers hiding their snack stash that everyone keeps in their drawers when I was around or telling me that they limited me to one. Yup, I was addicted to sugar. I would come home by 3-4pm everyday and I would absolutely NEED to sit on the couch and watch TV and veg for a good 30 minutes before I could even think about cooking dinner. I was always winging dinner and so I grabbed whatever was easy and mistakenly thinking my family was eating healthy because I at least put a cooked frozen veggie on the plate. Most nights after we got the kids to bed I could barely keep my eyes open to 10 pm and although I had the intention of exercising more, in a good month I only got in about 3 workouts, whether it was a group class or throwing in one of my many DVDs that I bought at Target on clearance. Clearly I was in denial that my health was a priority. My half hearted attempts to lose weight literally weighed on my heart and I kept wishing I could make it happen.
Fast forward to Noah's birth story, which was awesome and one day I will blog about it for those of you who do not know how incredible it was. So I have this amazing birth that was drug free and I was really doing my homework on eating healthy, which was a work in progress for a couple years. That is when I found my Team Beachbody coach, placed my order for my Body Gospel DVD program and ordered Shakeology. Now I have never had a protein shake before so to me, this speaks of "Life Before Shakeology" and "Life After Shakeology." So you would think with three kids that the work load would be too much: too much to clean, too much laundry, dishes, and bottles and too much to do in general. Well, I found that when I started drinking Shakeology that I no longer took that afternoon break (which was really a big energy slump that many times ended in a cat nap) and sat on the couch. There, I just picked up 30-45 minutes at least where I could get things done. I realized I could choose what I wanted to do, either workout or get some household chores done or play with the kids, which was made my heart sing with joy. I found that I craved healthier food instead of processed snacks. Before I would give the kids some Goldfish but I ended up finishing the box for them. One by one I replaced processed food with fresh fruits and vegetables. (I still have 1 or 2 quick snacks for the kids, but more often we pack fruit as our on the go snack.) At night when the kids would go to bed, I was able to have lots of great conversations with my husband because I had gotten a lot of my chores done during the day and did not have to always do them at night or better, we would do the chores together as we talked about our values, goals and dreams. He noticed my energy difference too as I no longer fell asleep on the couch before 10pm while we watched some tv shows or movies.
So what is the points here? Before I drank Shakeology, I was just surviving my days and praying to make it to the weekend. Hopefully to keep catching up on all the at I had intended to get done during the week but just didn't have the energy to get done. Now that I drink Shakeology every single day, I wake up refreshed, full of energy and hope and I get so many things done on my to do list that I am often amazed. Sometimes I am greedy and say, why can't I get 20 things done today, instead of just 10? More than once I have said to my husband at night, I am just so excited about life that when my head hits the pillow, my brain is dreaming such big dreams for us and our family. And I am now of the mindset of I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day because there is so much that I want to see and do and explore. It's called LIVING life and I have the energy to do it, all because of Shakeology. That is why I am so passionate about it. I think everyone should be drinking it. It is so good for you and the benefits are like the never-ending harvest. Truly for me, it is energy in a bottle and I will be drinking it every single day.
After Megan was born, I had had a C-section and the recovery was pretty awful. I had pain from the incision for at least 8 weeks, at which time I was cleared to exercise but didn't. Oh, I tried. I signed up for Stroller Strides in my town, and I love the instructor who looked great after 4 c-sections herself. But she had to modify the modified version of me. I was in the 200+ lbs for the majority of that year. Maybe I bounced down in the 190s but not all that much. A great day was when I was 188 after cutting out snacks. I had returned to work and completely relied on coffee (with milk and 3 T of sugar) at least 2-3 times a day and I was definitely a snack-aholic. I remember co-workers hiding their snack stash that everyone keeps in their drawers when I was around or telling me that they limited me to one. Yup, I was addicted to sugar. I would come home by 3-4pm everyday and I would absolutely NEED to sit on the couch and watch TV and veg for a good 30 minutes before I could even think about cooking dinner. I was always winging dinner and so I grabbed whatever was easy and mistakenly thinking my family was eating healthy because I at least put a cooked frozen veggie on the plate. Most nights after we got the kids to bed I could barely keep my eyes open to 10 pm and although I had the intention of exercising more, in a good month I only got in about 3 workouts, whether it was a group class or throwing in one of my many DVDs that I bought at Target on clearance. Clearly I was in denial that my health was a priority. My half hearted attempts to lose weight literally weighed on my heart and I kept wishing I could make it happen.
Fast forward to Noah's birth story, which was awesome and one day I will blog about it for those of you who do not know how incredible it was. So I have this amazing birth that was drug free and I was really doing my homework on eating healthy, which was a work in progress for a couple years. That is when I found my Team Beachbody coach, placed my order for my Body Gospel DVD program and ordered Shakeology. Now I have never had a protein shake before so to me, this speaks of "Life Before Shakeology" and "Life After Shakeology." So you would think with three kids that the work load would be too much: too much to clean, too much laundry, dishes, and bottles and too much to do in general. Well, I found that when I started drinking Shakeology that I no longer took that afternoon break (which was really a big energy slump that many times ended in a cat nap) and sat on the couch. There, I just picked up 30-45 minutes at least where I could get things done. I realized I could choose what I wanted to do, either workout or get some household chores done or play with the kids, which was made my heart sing with joy. I found that I craved healthier food instead of processed snacks. Before I would give the kids some Goldfish but I ended up finishing the box for them. One by one I replaced processed food with fresh fruits and vegetables. (I still have 1 or 2 quick snacks for the kids, but more often we pack fruit as our on the go snack.) At night when the kids would go to bed, I was able to have lots of great conversations with my husband because I had gotten a lot of my chores done during the day and did not have to always do them at night or better, we would do the chores together as we talked about our values, goals and dreams. He noticed my energy difference too as I no longer fell asleep on the couch before 10pm while we watched some tv shows or movies.
So what is the points here? Before I drank Shakeology, I was just surviving my days and praying to make it to the weekend. Hopefully to keep catching up on all the at I had intended to get done during the week but just didn't have the energy to get done. Now that I drink Shakeology every single day, I wake up refreshed, full of energy and hope and I get so many things done on my to do list that I am often amazed. Sometimes I am greedy and say, why can't I get 20 things done today, instead of just 10? More than once I have said to my husband at night, I am just so excited about life that when my head hits the pillow, my brain is dreaming such big dreams for us and our family. And I am now of the mindset of I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day because there is so much that I want to see and do and explore. It's called LIVING life and I have the energy to do it, all because of Shakeology. That is why I am so passionate about it. I think everyone should be drinking it. It is so good for you and the benefits are like the never-ending harvest. Truly for me, it is energy in a bottle and I will be drinking it every single day.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
What the Heck is an Antioxidant, anyway? I think I know but...
I know you have heard of the term "antioxidant." It's been around since the 1990's as one of the ways to help cure or offset diseases and such other health problems. But do you really know what an antioxidant is, anyway? You hear it on the news and it is everywhere from cereal to supplements, lotions to creams, and everything in between. But do you really know and understand what an antioxidant is?
So we are going to have a little science lesson here. Bare with me, because I taught chemistry (and physics) for the last 15 years and I love the opportunity to educate people with what they thought was useless HS science. In our culmination of the BBD (bigger better deal) in trying to make better cars, better food, better everything in our society, we have put out a lot of damaging chemicals into the environment. Some of these chemicals you may have heard of before are called "free radicals." (Free radicals are also naturally occurring but I would like to point out that the human race has done a lot of serious damage too that has really done a number on our environment.) So these free radicals are everywhere: in the air, your food, things we touch. On a cellular and even atomic level, these free radicals are "electron stealers." When they enter your body, they really wreck havoc on many cells that can then malfunction (think down the line eventually become a cancerous cell to tumor to full blown cancer.)
Oh no! What can we do to protect our bodies from these "electron stealers" who damage the DNA in our cells? Da-da-da!!! Enter the antioxidant with his cape flying behind him to save the day. Antioxidants are generous "electron givers." They prevent oxidation, the lose of electrons. (Does anyone remember LEO the lion goes GER? Lose Electron Oxidation, Gain Electrons Reduction?) So antioxidants are able to give the free radicals the extra "healthy" electrons they have and therefore the radicals do not do damage to your body, or so the theory goes. (And this concludes our science lesson for today.)
So antioxidants are superheroes preventing damage from the terrible free radicals. But...well you gotta be in the right place at the right time. Meaning this: if you ate your blueberries back when you were a kid, but seldom ate them as a 45 year old adult, you missed the boat. You gotta keep antioxidants in and around your body so that they are in your system ready to help defeat the radicals. So that means you need to keep antioxidants in your diet regularly. How are Americans stacking up on that front? Terrible for the most part, when current statistics say the 2 out 3 Americans are overweight or obese. We are not eating what we need to eat to be a healthy culture.
How can we fix that? One thing I have done is to drink Shakeology everyday. It has taken me almost a year to retrain myself to have a healthier diet and I am still learning everyday. But I know when I drink my Shakeology, that I put in the antioxidants in place to do their job. This is part of what makes Shakeology unique compared to other "protein drinks" that usually just contain whey powder and couple of filler ingredients. (Do you read your labels?) The ingredients that they contain are just top notch and of the highest quality. They include the following: cacao, coconut flower nectar, acerola cherry, pomegranate, camu-camu, bilberry, goji berry, blueberry, acai, green tea, rose hips, cinnamon, and luo han guo. In addition to fighting free radicals, these super-fruits promote heart health, support joint health, and keep your brain healthy. The key is everyday consistency. If you want the battle free radicals, you need to have antioxidants present at the right place and at the right time.
So we are going to have a little science lesson here. Bare with me, because I taught chemistry (and physics) for the last 15 years and I love the opportunity to educate people with what they thought was useless HS science. In our culmination of the BBD (bigger better deal) in trying to make better cars, better food, better everything in our society, we have put out a lot of damaging chemicals into the environment. Some of these chemicals you may have heard of before are called "free radicals." (Free radicals are also naturally occurring but I would like to point out that the human race has done a lot of serious damage too that has really done a number on our environment.) So these free radicals are everywhere: in the air, your food, things we touch. On a cellular and even atomic level, these free radicals are "electron stealers." When they enter your body, they really wreck havoc on many cells that can then malfunction (think down the line eventually become a cancerous cell to tumor to full blown cancer.)
Oh no! What can we do to protect our bodies from these "electron stealers" who damage the DNA in our cells? Da-da-da!!! Enter the antioxidant with his cape flying behind him to save the day. Antioxidants are generous "electron givers." They prevent oxidation, the lose of electrons. (Does anyone remember LEO the lion goes GER? Lose Electron Oxidation, Gain Electrons Reduction?) So antioxidants are able to give the free radicals the extra "healthy" electrons they have and therefore the radicals do not do damage to your body, or so the theory goes. (And this concludes our science lesson for today.)
So antioxidants are superheroes preventing damage from the terrible free radicals. But...well you gotta be in the right place at the right time. Meaning this: if you ate your blueberries back when you were a kid, but seldom ate them as a 45 year old adult, you missed the boat. You gotta keep antioxidants in and around your body so that they are in your system ready to help defeat the radicals. So that means you need to keep antioxidants in your diet regularly. How are Americans stacking up on that front? Terrible for the most part, when current statistics say the 2 out 3 Americans are overweight or obese. We are not eating what we need to eat to be a healthy culture.
How can we fix that? One thing I have done is to drink Shakeology everyday. It has taken me almost a year to retrain myself to have a healthier diet and I am still learning everyday. But I know when I drink my Shakeology, that I put in the antioxidants in place to do their job. This is part of what makes Shakeology unique compared to other "protein drinks" that usually just contain whey powder and couple of filler ingredients. (Do you read your labels?) The ingredients that they contain are just top notch and of the highest quality. They include the following: cacao, coconut flower nectar, acerola cherry, pomegranate, camu-camu, bilberry, goji berry, blueberry, acai, green tea, rose hips, cinnamon, and luo han guo. In addition to fighting free radicals, these super-fruits promote heart health, support joint health, and keep your brain healthy. The key is everyday consistency. If you want the battle free radicals, you need to have antioxidants present at the right place and at the right time.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
It's JUST a Protein Shake...Not really, it's SOO Much More
So let me be completely honest...Shakeology is my first and only protein shake. I have never had them before. I heard about them, in a distant, kinda body builder kinda way. When I stumbled upon Shakeology, I was looking to increase my protein intake. I knew that when I had more protein in my diet, I had more energy. I felt fuller longer. As I was looking into protein options, I knew I did not want to eat meat or nuts or eggs all day to get in protein, which would have been easy and convenient ways for me. So I knew I should try to get more from plant proteins, but I was a newbie. Though I had been eating a lot of natural food for a while, I still was lost in the jungle of which plants had which proteins, and what made a complete protein and which kinds did I need as a pregnant, then nursing mother. And then Shakeology just kinda fell into my lap.
I was COMPLETELY skeptical at first. Shakes? No way. And I don't skip meals. I love food too much. But I decided to watch a Shakeology video that explained where they get their ingredients from, why they select their ingredients and what those ingredients did for you. The most common protein to add to shakes/powders is whey, which comes from milk/milk products and processes. As you know from my other blogs, I have gone dairy free and am very happy I have done so. Luckily, Shakeology was still in the running since it offered vegan versions of its product. But this eliminated the MAJORITY of other products. I know because when I went on the vacation to Missouri last year, I spent an enormous amount of time in the supermarket and at the natural food stores looking for whey/dairy free options and it was SLIM pickens.
So what is in Shakeology for the protein aspect? Whey is in the regular flavors; chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and greenberry (their own special blend that tastes like green tea and raspberry to me.) But the vegan versions of chocolate and tropical strawberry (as well as the regular versions) contain pea protein, flax seed, chia seed, amaranth, quinoa and sacha inchi. Most of these you have heard of and maybe a few you haven't. Pea protein is really derived from peas, but it is not a complete protein. Flax and chia seeds are the new trend of seeds that you may have heard or seen at salad bars or in the supermarket. Flax is a waxy seed that needs to be ground up to release the protein contained inside of it. Chia really is that chia seed from the Chia Pet commercials from a decade or two ago. (I was skeebed out too and then got over it. You will too.) Both of these seeds are awesome at giving you energy and well, they both help you to get regular, if you know what I mean. Most Americans don't know what it means to eliminate regularly and what that should look like because it is a taboo topic. But if you ever want to talk poop, talk to a mom, because she is usually elbow deep in it all day long.
Amaranth is less known but gaining popularity every month now as I see it in the grocery store products for those "healthy food" aisles. I was introduced to amaranth when I has a CSA farm share for two years. Basically it is like a bitter lettuce type like plant. It is absolutely great for you and very versatile, but you need to have a palate that can handle the bitter flavor or add things to it to make it enhance the flavor. I made a dip with it, given to me by the farmers who grew it (I highly recommend CSAs because the farmers really do want to educate you on what you are eating and why it is good for you.) Quinoa is THE NEW FAD protein that is winning over America and currently replacing pasta as it feels and looks like a carb, but it is really a protein. We can thank Dr. Oz for really giving a lot of props to quinoa and you can find it as easy as finding pasta nowadays in the supermarket. The last ingredient is probably the least known ingredient: sacha inchi. It is a plant from the Amazon region of the world, Peru is most likely where you will find it. It has a seed that looks like a star fruit. The protein and oil that is harnessed from this plant is amazing as it contains high amounts of protein (27% for a plant is awesome) and high amounts of omega-3, -6, and -9 acids, which is something we all need to improve in our diets. We tend to get these from fish.
So this is kinda what Beachbody does with Shakeology. These ingredients that they choose are all natural, plant based and are completely nutrient rich and they are from many exotic locations, as I will discuss in upcoming blogs. It is what we are lacking in our American diet. Which is why we are going to other countries, looking for other sources we can get it from. It is no secret that the US has really done on number on our farm lands and that the nutrients in our soil is lacking after decades of over harvesting to produce and profit from. Do the research and you will find that the nutrients we got from fruits and vegetables today do not match the nutrients we got 50 years ago due to the damage we caused to the land.
So back to Shakeology, which the goal is to SIMPLIFY the process for us to get the proper nutrients into our diet. Since I can't fix the system, I will definitely invest my time, my money and my energy into something that works and helps me and my family. So to me, Shakeology is not simply a "protein shake," it is so much more and it is completely worth every penny I spend to drink it every single day.
I was COMPLETELY skeptical at first. Shakes? No way. And I don't skip meals. I love food too much. But I decided to watch a Shakeology video that explained where they get their ingredients from, why they select their ingredients and what those ingredients did for you. The most common protein to add to shakes/powders is whey, which comes from milk/milk products and processes. As you know from my other blogs, I have gone dairy free and am very happy I have done so. Luckily, Shakeology was still in the running since it offered vegan versions of its product. But this eliminated the MAJORITY of other products. I know because when I went on the vacation to Missouri last year, I spent an enormous amount of time in the supermarket and at the natural food stores looking for whey/dairy free options and it was SLIM pickens.
So what is in Shakeology for the protein aspect? Whey is in the regular flavors; chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and greenberry (their own special blend that tastes like green tea and raspberry to me.) But the vegan versions of chocolate and tropical strawberry (as well as the regular versions) contain pea protein, flax seed, chia seed, amaranth, quinoa and sacha inchi. Most of these you have heard of and maybe a few you haven't. Pea protein is really derived from peas, but it is not a complete protein. Flax and chia seeds are the new trend of seeds that you may have heard or seen at salad bars or in the supermarket. Flax is a waxy seed that needs to be ground up to release the protein contained inside of it. Chia really is that chia seed from the Chia Pet commercials from a decade or two ago. (I was skeebed out too and then got over it. You will too.) Both of these seeds are awesome at giving you energy and well, they both help you to get regular, if you know what I mean. Most Americans don't know what it means to eliminate regularly and what that should look like because it is a taboo topic. But if you ever want to talk poop, talk to a mom, because she is usually elbow deep in it all day long.
Amaranth is less known but gaining popularity every month now as I see it in the grocery store products for those "healthy food" aisles. I was introduced to amaranth when I has a CSA farm share for two years. Basically it is like a bitter lettuce type like plant. It is absolutely great for you and very versatile, but you need to have a palate that can handle the bitter flavor or add things to it to make it enhance the flavor. I made a dip with it, given to me by the farmers who grew it (I highly recommend CSAs because the farmers really do want to educate you on what you are eating and why it is good for you.) Quinoa is THE NEW FAD protein that is winning over America and currently replacing pasta as it feels and looks like a carb, but it is really a protein. We can thank Dr. Oz for really giving a lot of props to quinoa and you can find it as easy as finding pasta nowadays in the supermarket. The last ingredient is probably the least known ingredient: sacha inchi. It is a plant from the Amazon region of the world, Peru is most likely where you will find it. It has a seed that looks like a star fruit. The protein and oil that is harnessed from this plant is amazing as it contains high amounts of protein (27% for a plant is awesome) and high amounts of omega-3, -6, and -9 acids, which is something we all need to improve in our diets. We tend to get these from fish.
So this is kinda what Beachbody does with Shakeology. These ingredients that they choose are all natural, plant based and are completely nutrient rich and they are from many exotic locations, as I will discuss in upcoming blogs. It is what we are lacking in our American diet. Which is why we are going to other countries, looking for other sources we can get it from. It is no secret that the US has really done on number on our farm lands and that the nutrients in our soil is lacking after decades of over harvesting to produce and profit from. Do the research and you will find that the nutrients we got from fruits and vegetables today do not match the nutrients we got 50 years ago due to the damage we caused to the land.
So back to Shakeology, which the goal is to SIMPLIFY the process for us to get the proper nutrients into our diet. Since I can't fix the system, I will definitely invest my time, my money and my energy into something that works and helps me and my family. So to me, Shakeology is not simply a "protein shake," it is so much more and it is completely worth every penny I spend to drink it every single day.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
What the heck in it anyway? Shakeology ingredients explained
Do you read the labels of all the foods and food products you consume? I do and it's something my husband and I have been doing for years on our exploration of "What the heck should we be eating?" quest. We try to make it simple because in the end that is the way it should be. With a degree in chemistry, if ***I*** can not determine what that chemical is and what the purpose of it is in that food, than I put that item down and choose something else.
So when I started looking into Shakeology, I was like, "What is that? I never heard of that before." But not because it was a chemical but because it was a plant, vegetable or herd I was not familiar with. Being a breastfeeding mother, I am extremely careful with what I put in my body and especially more so because my third child seems to have a food intolerance/sensitivity. Before I purchased Shakeology, I went through all the literature, educational videos, and of course, the ingredient list. And what I found was nothing short of awesome stuff that lined up with what my husband and I were looking for in our food.
Shakeology has over 70+ superfoods. What are superfoods? These are foods that are so good for you they have a great health benefit for you since our current food supply in the US is missing important nutrients as we have depleted the good minerals in our soil on top of the decades of use of chemicals to "enhance" our food. So now we have to look to other sources to help supplement what our food should be giving us but is not. When looking for superfoods, you will here words like anti-oxidants, phytonutrients, adaptogen herbs, prebiotics, probiotics, digestive enzymes and of course, protein, vitamins and minerals.
When your body receives these nutrients, it takes a little time to recognize them, like a week or so and then when it starts processing them, you will feel a shift in your body. It is a shift in your hunger, a shift in your mental clarity, a shift with your energy, and shift in your cravings, away from unhealthy food to more healthier food choices. When you stay consistent In about 4 weeks, most people notice they have lost weight, not because Shakeology is doing any magic, but because your body is receiving proper nutrition, addictions to sugar, carbs, and caffeine have diminished and these items are what can make people hold onto extra weight. You will also notice your stamina has increased. This is how I can keep up with my 3 young children. I don't get that afternoon slump and in fact, I have great energy and mental clarity up until I am ready for bed. After 12 weeks of being on Shakeology, almost everyone I know has lost 10+ pounds and 2 inches off their waist. If you are overweight or obese or morbidly obese, this push is what can help you stick to a program in terms of getting healthy. But it takes consistency. For high risk people, Shakeology has helped reduced risk for diseases like heart disease and type II diabetes as well as low cholesterol on average by 30% and even up to 70%. And one of my favorite aspects that I notice, Shakeology makes my hair and nails grow in a really healthy beautiful fashion.
Today we will look at the familiar, proteins and amino acids, and through the weeks, move to the unfamiliar, adaptogens and digestive enzymes. Proteins and amino acids help build lean muscles, heals wounds, improves skin and hair, supports optimum brain function and mental clarity, improves moods, and reduces cravings. The ingredients in Shakeology that are in the protein and amino acids category are amaranth, Camu-Camu, Goji berry, sacha inchi, sprouted quinoa and whey protein in non-vegan varieties and brown rice and pea protein in the vegan varieties.
To learn more about Goji berries, please check out the Shakeology website:
http://www.shakeology.com/blogs/2014/05/03/superfood-saturday-go-go-go-goji-berries/?SHAKEOLOGY_CART_ID=0
So when I started looking into Shakeology, I was like, "What is that? I never heard of that before." But not because it was a chemical but because it was a plant, vegetable or herd I was not familiar with. Being a breastfeeding mother, I am extremely careful with what I put in my body and especially more so because my third child seems to have a food intolerance/sensitivity. Before I purchased Shakeology, I went through all the literature, educational videos, and of course, the ingredient list. And what I found was nothing short of awesome stuff that lined up with what my husband and I were looking for in our food.
Shakeology has over 70+ superfoods. What are superfoods? These are foods that are so good for you they have a great health benefit for you since our current food supply in the US is missing important nutrients as we have depleted the good minerals in our soil on top of the decades of use of chemicals to "enhance" our food. So now we have to look to other sources to help supplement what our food should be giving us but is not. When looking for superfoods, you will here words like anti-oxidants, phytonutrients, adaptogen herbs, prebiotics, probiotics, digestive enzymes and of course, protein, vitamins and minerals.
When your body receives these nutrients, it takes a little time to recognize them, like a week or so and then when it starts processing them, you will feel a shift in your body. It is a shift in your hunger, a shift in your mental clarity, a shift with your energy, and shift in your cravings, away from unhealthy food to more healthier food choices. When you stay consistent In about 4 weeks, most people notice they have lost weight, not because Shakeology is doing any magic, but because your body is receiving proper nutrition, addictions to sugar, carbs, and caffeine have diminished and these items are what can make people hold onto extra weight. You will also notice your stamina has increased. This is how I can keep up with my 3 young children. I don't get that afternoon slump and in fact, I have great energy and mental clarity up until I am ready for bed. After 12 weeks of being on Shakeology, almost everyone I know has lost 10+ pounds and 2 inches off their waist. If you are overweight or obese or morbidly obese, this push is what can help you stick to a program in terms of getting healthy. But it takes consistency. For high risk people, Shakeology has helped reduced risk for diseases like heart disease and type II diabetes as well as low cholesterol on average by 30% and even up to 70%. And one of my favorite aspects that I notice, Shakeology makes my hair and nails grow in a really healthy beautiful fashion.
Today we will look at the familiar, proteins and amino acids, and through the weeks, move to the unfamiliar, adaptogens and digestive enzymes. Proteins and amino acids help build lean muscles, heals wounds, improves skin and hair, supports optimum brain function and mental clarity, improves moods, and reduces cravings. The ingredients in Shakeology that are in the protein and amino acids category are amaranth, Camu-Camu, Goji berry, sacha inchi, sprouted quinoa and whey protein in non-vegan varieties and brown rice and pea protein in the vegan varieties.
To learn more about Goji berries, please check out the Shakeology website:
http://www.shakeology.com/blogs/2014/05/03/superfood-saturday-go-go-go-goji-berries/?SHAKEOLOGY_CART_ID=0
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Consistency is the Key, My Friend
So I am 10 months into my Shakeology journey and have nothing but wonderful things to say about it. I have lost 50+ lbs since I started in July 2013, I have more energy than most people I know, am excited to be able to be a "WHAM" which is a work hard at home mother, and just have my health back. You don't really notice these things until one day you wake up and say, "Wow. I notice I feel AWESOME...every...single...day." How does this happen? One word: CONSISTENCY.
Consistency is something I am really good at. One I commit to something, I am ALL IN. Many people say that, but do they mean it? That is where the difference lies. Last July I started drinking Shakeology and we had a 10 day road trip to visit my husband's family, which I stopped taking Shakeology for those 10 days. And I noticed, right away. And I thought I prepared too because I bought at least $50+ worth of protein snacks, bars, and drinks to make up for not having Shakeology. I honestly thought I could just "supplement my supplement." Didn't work. I ended up snacking every two hours on my healthy snacks, like bars or nuts or a protein drink. But I would ask my husband around 11am on the long 1000+ mile drive, "Hey, if you see a Starbucks at the next rest area..." And thankfully I was tracking my calories on MyFitnessPal so I didn't go over bc I was tremendously excited that I had lost over 10+ lbs at that point. To someone who just had a baby 4 months ago, those 10 lbs were a big deal.
Once we got back from vacation and my Shakeology delivery was waiting at the doorstep, I said never again. Not skipping it, not worth it. That is when I made up my mind that I REALLY AM ALL IN. And I have been drinking it everyday ever since. Without fail. (Well, I made Shakeology cookies for my son's birthday party so I ate my Shakeology instead of drinking it that day.) And all I can say is that I get up, have mental clarity, do not feel dependent on coffee to get me going, have tons of energy to be with my family and ENJOY that time and the list goes on and on. I never run out of energy, I run out of time in the day to do everything that I want to do. That is a good problem to have.
My observation though in both my fellow coaches and my challengers is this: when they are inconsistent with Shakeology, things start to fall a part. If they are on a weight loss journey, the scale stops moving. Why? The cravings come back and they make poor food choices. And then when they get back on the band wagon, the needle moves down. If they take a break for a holiday or special occasion like a vacation, they feel sluggish and don't sleep as well. So the special time you set aside for your family, you feel like a deflated balloon. Does that make sense? Not in my book.
If they took a break because of financial reasons, which is the one excuse that most people will say, what I notice is they go out to eat more and when they do that they overeat because have you seen the portion sizes in restaurants these days? They are HUGE. They think they are too busy to make a shake and yet run through the drive thru for the convenience. How again does this make sense? I remember in my family as we weaned our family off of the drive thru how the bill got less and less as I chose not to order anything and drank my Shakeology instead (and of course felt better afterwards...never said that after hitting McD's) and then my husband stopped ordering extra food to just skipping his order too because he started drinking Shakeology. My husband and I just saved $10-12 just by not ordering and yet Shakeology is just $4/per serving.
So when someone asks me, "How can you afford it?" It's simple. I just can't create a meal for $4 that contains the amount of protein, vitamins, nutrients and excellent resources that my body needs. I know. I tried. I failed. I came to the realization that the EASIEST thing for me to do was to just be consistent with drinking Shakeology. Much easier for me to budget Shakeology than those "emergency drive thru runs" or going out to eat and paying for food that was way too plentiful and not as healthy as this.
So what is my advice here? Stay consistent. The simplest meal of the day for me is my healthiest meal of the day. Why would I trade that? I like feeling healthy, happy and whole. I hope you choose to stay consistent too. In the long run, it is easier.
Please stay tuned for the next two months as I explain some of the exotic ingredients in Shakeology and what they do for your body and your health. Some things you will have maybe heard of before like pea protein or chia seeds, but others like maca root or ashawagandha (say what?) are foreign to us. Thanks for reading!
Consistency is something I am really good at. One I commit to something, I am ALL IN. Many people say that, but do they mean it? That is where the difference lies. Last July I started drinking Shakeology and we had a 10 day road trip to visit my husband's family, which I stopped taking Shakeology for those 10 days. And I noticed, right away. And I thought I prepared too because I bought at least $50+ worth of protein snacks, bars, and drinks to make up for not having Shakeology. I honestly thought I could just "supplement my supplement." Didn't work. I ended up snacking every two hours on my healthy snacks, like bars or nuts or a protein drink. But I would ask my husband around 11am on the long 1000+ mile drive, "Hey, if you see a Starbucks at the next rest area..." And thankfully I was tracking my calories on MyFitnessPal so I didn't go over bc I was tremendously excited that I had lost over 10+ lbs at that point. To someone who just had a baby 4 months ago, those 10 lbs were a big deal.
Once we got back from vacation and my Shakeology delivery was waiting at the doorstep, I said never again. Not skipping it, not worth it. That is when I made up my mind that I REALLY AM ALL IN. And I have been drinking it everyday ever since. Without fail. (Well, I made Shakeology cookies for my son's birthday party so I ate my Shakeology instead of drinking it that day.) And all I can say is that I get up, have mental clarity, do not feel dependent on coffee to get me going, have tons of energy to be with my family and ENJOY that time and the list goes on and on. I never run out of energy, I run out of time in the day to do everything that I want to do. That is a good problem to have.
My observation though in both my fellow coaches and my challengers is this: when they are inconsistent with Shakeology, things start to fall a part. If they are on a weight loss journey, the scale stops moving. Why? The cravings come back and they make poor food choices. And then when they get back on the band wagon, the needle moves down. If they take a break for a holiday or special occasion like a vacation, they feel sluggish and don't sleep as well. So the special time you set aside for your family, you feel like a deflated balloon. Does that make sense? Not in my book.
If they took a break because of financial reasons, which is the one excuse that most people will say, what I notice is they go out to eat more and when they do that they overeat because have you seen the portion sizes in restaurants these days? They are HUGE. They think they are too busy to make a shake and yet run through the drive thru for the convenience. How again does this make sense? I remember in my family as we weaned our family off of the drive thru how the bill got less and less as I chose not to order anything and drank my Shakeology instead (and of course felt better afterwards...never said that after hitting McD's) and then my husband stopped ordering extra food to just skipping his order too because he started drinking Shakeology. My husband and I just saved $10-12 just by not ordering and yet Shakeology is just $4/per serving.
So when someone asks me, "How can you afford it?" It's simple. I just can't create a meal for $4 that contains the amount of protein, vitamins, nutrients and excellent resources that my body needs. I know. I tried. I failed. I came to the realization that the EASIEST thing for me to do was to just be consistent with drinking Shakeology. Much easier for me to budget Shakeology than those "emergency drive thru runs" or going out to eat and paying for food that was way too plentiful and not as healthy as this.
So what is my advice here? Stay consistent. The simplest meal of the day for me is my healthiest meal of the day. Why would I trade that? I like feeling healthy, happy and whole. I hope you choose to stay consistent too. In the long run, it is easier.
Please stay tuned for the next two months as I explain some of the exotic ingredients in Shakeology and what they do for your body and your health. Some things you will have maybe heard of before like pea protein or chia seeds, but others like maca root or ashawagandha (say what?) are foreign to us. Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Say Buhbye Coffee! How Shakeology Kicked my Caffeine Addiction
I used to be the kind of person that would say, "Don't talk to me. My personality is in the cup." Meaning my coffee cup and many times, I was not able to really move and do things til the second cup. Only when I was pregnant with my children did I give up coffee completely and switched to decaf.
As I was in my 3rd and 4th month with my Beachbody Challenge group, several of the people in the group said how they felt less cravings for coffee. Hmm, strange, I thought. I love my coffee. It's my morning ritual, my little special something for me. Why would I give up coffee? As I was working through my sugar addiction, I was looking to decrease my calories and my coffee the way I made it was easily 300+ calories. As I adjusted the ingredients with less sugar, switching from sweetened almond milk to unsweetened almond milk, I thought, can I do this? Can I really give it up? My creature comfort that helped me survive motherhood in the morning? Alright, Shakeology, let's see if you can live up to the claims that people make about you. I am a sceptic by nature as a science teacher, so many times I need evidence to believe with cold hard data.
As I was investigating clean eating, I found a menu plan from one of my upline coaches. And right there on page 1, it said , "NO CAFFEINE of any kind." Yeah, right, like that is going to last. But it was only a week and I said, well, I am on Shakeology and this is one of the BIG CLAIMS TO FAME about it. So I said, Why not? I had just become a coach and I really wanted to be able to say that I was a great resource for nutrition. "Clean eating" is the new trendy word that basically means eat nothing processed, which in this case included coffee. Let's see if the magic of Shakeology will power me through this week.
So I put my big girl pants on and dove in to a clean eating challenge. At first it was weird, not having my warm mug in my hand in the morning. So I made peppermint tea (caffeine free) just so I could get over the hump of the mug. I had my Shakeology probably around 10am that morning as my midmorning snack. I will admit that I had a headache later that day but I was terribly proud of myself and popping a couple ibuprofen worked. Then I got up on Tuesday, and did it again. No headache this time. Waited to have my Shakeology a little later in the afternoon to see if that would help in case a headache returned but it did not. Wednesday came and this time I did not even have the peppermint tea. Just a glass of water with a little Himalayan sea salt in it. I had my Shakeology with lunch and felt great. And then it dawned on me that my addiction to the coffee was totally mental and as I become more familiar with the ingredients of Shakeology, like the Maca root, I was amazed that this was going to be my solution to kicking my caffeine addiction. It was true. These ingredients really gave me the energy I used to think I got from coffee or should I say, caffeine.
Do I drink coffee today? I have on occasion. Especially nights when the baby wakes me up 2-3 times with teething or a diaper change, but for the most part, no, I don't NEED COFFEE the way I used to. It's a nice treat, kinda like a Saturday morning breakfast would be. What was once a huge part of my diet was able to quietly disappear in the night. How do I feel today? My personality is not in the cup, it's in the shaker.
As I was in my 3rd and 4th month with my Beachbody Challenge group, several of the people in the group said how they felt less cravings for coffee. Hmm, strange, I thought. I love my coffee. It's my morning ritual, my little special something for me. Why would I give up coffee? As I was working through my sugar addiction, I was looking to decrease my calories and my coffee the way I made it was easily 300+ calories. As I adjusted the ingredients with less sugar, switching from sweetened almond milk to unsweetened almond milk, I thought, can I do this? Can I really give it up? My creature comfort that helped me survive motherhood in the morning? Alright, Shakeology, let's see if you can live up to the claims that people make about you. I am a sceptic by nature as a science teacher, so many times I need evidence to believe with cold hard data.
As I was investigating clean eating, I found a menu plan from one of my upline coaches. And right there on page 1, it said , "NO CAFFEINE of any kind." Yeah, right, like that is going to last. But it was only a week and I said, well, I am on Shakeology and this is one of the BIG CLAIMS TO FAME about it. So I said, Why not? I had just become a coach and I really wanted to be able to say that I was a great resource for nutrition. "Clean eating" is the new trendy word that basically means eat nothing processed, which in this case included coffee. Let's see if the magic of Shakeology will power me through this week.
So I put my big girl pants on and dove in to a clean eating challenge. At first it was weird, not having my warm mug in my hand in the morning. So I made peppermint tea (caffeine free) just so I could get over the hump of the mug. I had my Shakeology probably around 10am that morning as my midmorning snack. I will admit that I had a headache later that day but I was terribly proud of myself and popping a couple ibuprofen worked. Then I got up on Tuesday, and did it again. No headache this time. Waited to have my Shakeology a little later in the afternoon to see if that would help in case a headache returned but it did not. Wednesday came and this time I did not even have the peppermint tea. Just a glass of water with a little Himalayan sea salt in it. I had my Shakeology with lunch and felt great. And then it dawned on me that my addiction to the coffee was totally mental and as I become more familiar with the ingredients of Shakeology, like the Maca root, I was amazed that this was going to be my solution to kicking my caffeine addiction. It was true. These ingredients really gave me the energy I used to think I got from coffee or should I say, caffeine.
Do I drink coffee today? I have on occasion. Especially nights when the baby wakes me up 2-3 times with teething or a diaper change, but for the most part, no, I don't NEED COFFEE the way I used to. It's a nice treat, kinda like a Saturday morning breakfast would be. What was once a huge part of my diet was able to quietly disappear in the night. How do I feel today? My personality is not in the cup, it's in the shaker.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
How Shakeology Helped Me Kick My Sugar Addiction
So I started my Shakeology journey in July 2013. I was about two months into drinking it everyday (less my vacation in August) when the people in my challenge group started discussing other sweeteners or talked about how their cravings decreased. It was September and I noticed that I just stopped joining the kids in their afternoon snack around 3-4pm, usually something like animal crackers or pretzels or some other carb/sugar thing. And I thought to myself...hmm, maybe there is something to this claim that it decreases people's sugar cravings.
Now at this point in time, I was a neophyte in terms of changing my diet. I was just mostly sticking to dairy free as per my son's intolerance, but not changing much else, just keeping to the diet that I grew up with and cooked for my family. But what I loved about my challenge group was the exchange of ideas and what people ate and what helped keep them satisfied. I knew I was a huge snacker and I most definitely had a sweet tooth. Between you and me, I could eat a whole package of Reeses in one sitting and not blink.
And I really thought about that... I was addicted to sugar. I loved it. I would buy the Domino 5 lbs jug and I realized I was really the only one in my family who used it, mostly in my coffee in the morning. Sure I could blame baking and other needs, but those were rare and just a few times a year. But on a daily basis, I used at least 3 TABLESPOONS of sugar in my coffee every morning. Per coffee cup. I had already done the calculation in My Fitness Pal app and realizing that each coffee cup I drank ranged between 200-300 cal and that is me underestimating it because I didn't really want to know how bad it was.
So I decided I would start there. But I liked the way my coffee tasted, sweet and mellow with vanilla almond milk (the sweetened kind.) So I did some reading and I downloaded some books, "The Complete Sugar Detox Program," "Five Simple Steps to Cut Down on Sugar" and a few other articles. Sugar withdrawel is AWFUL. Painful. As bad if not worse than a caffeine headache. So my first step was to switch to the unsweetened almond milk, which changed from 90 cal/serving to 30 cal/serving (not that I used an entire serving in one coffee cup but over 2-3 cups a day.) Then after a week or so, I tried 2 tablespoons instead of 3 tablespoons. Not bad. Didn't really notice a difference. Then by the end of the month I went to 1 tablespoon of sugar. A difference yes, but worth it and I still felt like I get my sweet in my coffee.
My next step was researching "other sweeteners." I had tried honey, not great in my opinion for coffee, though nice with some teas. Maple syrup was just weird and really flavored the coffee in a certain way and didn't give it the right sweetness. In my research though, the sweetener that came up over and over as natural and safe because I was breastfeeding was stevia. So I started with 1 tablespoon of sugar with 1 packet of stevia. Brilliant. Kept at this til I acclimated to the taste of it and eventually one day I jumped off the ledge and completely stopped using sugar altogether. Just the stevia. And I had crossed the finish line of knowing I did not crave the sugar anymore, it was just a bad habit. So I packed up the sugar and stored it in my freezer (bc I do use it for baking on rare occasions.) And it has stayed there ever since.
So then how do I know that Shakeology helped make this happen? If I was having my coffee at 7-8am, I knew for certain that I would get my sweet kick in again with Shakeology sometime between 11am-2pm, which worked perfectly for me. And the fact that the afternoon snack just disappeared on its own was just easy that I didn't even notice. But what it takes is having Shakeology in my system everyday at a certain time that works for me. That time is anywhere between 10am-2pm so that my day flows. It works for me and I am so grateful to have kicked this habit. See, it is critical for me. Diabetes II runs in my family and I have seen first hand what it can do. So my priority this past year was to make sure I change my diet, get rid of this addiction so I prevent to the best of my ability this horrible affliction. A healthy diet creates a healthy weight which in turn lowers my risk for diabetes II.
So take a moment to think about your sugar addiction and the long term affects it could have on you... what would you be willing to change right now today to prevent the horrible health issues associated with it so you can enjoy every decade of your life? If I told you this shake would help you, would you drink it? I would and that is what I am doing on this journey with Shakeology.
Now at this point in time, I was a neophyte in terms of changing my diet. I was just mostly sticking to dairy free as per my son's intolerance, but not changing much else, just keeping to the diet that I grew up with and cooked for my family. But what I loved about my challenge group was the exchange of ideas and what people ate and what helped keep them satisfied. I knew I was a huge snacker and I most definitely had a sweet tooth. Between you and me, I could eat a whole package of Reeses in one sitting and not blink.
And I really thought about that... I was addicted to sugar. I loved it. I would buy the Domino 5 lbs jug and I realized I was really the only one in my family who used it, mostly in my coffee in the morning. Sure I could blame baking and other needs, but those were rare and just a few times a year. But on a daily basis, I used at least 3 TABLESPOONS of sugar in my coffee every morning. Per coffee cup. I had already done the calculation in My Fitness Pal app and realizing that each coffee cup I drank ranged between 200-300 cal and that is me underestimating it because I didn't really want to know how bad it was.
So I decided I would start there. But I liked the way my coffee tasted, sweet and mellow with vanilla almond milk (the sweetened kind.) So I did some reading and I downloaded some books, "The Complete Sugar Detox Program," "Five Simple Steps to Cut Down on Sugar" and a few other articles. Sugar withdrawel is AWFUL. Painful. As bad if not worse than a caffeine headache. So my first step was to switch to the unsweetened almond milk, which changed from 90 cal/serving to 30 cal/serving (not that I used an entire serving in one coffee cup but over 2-3 cups a day.) Then after a week or so, I tried 2 tablespoons instead of 3 tablespoons. Not bad. Didn't really notice a difference. Then by the end of the month I went to 1 tablespoon of sugar. A difference yes, but worth it and I still felt like I get my sweet in my coffee.
My next step was researching "other sweeteners." I had tried honey, not great in my opinion for coffee, though nice with some teas. Maple syrup was just weird and really flavored the coffee in a certain way and didn't give it the right sweetness. In my research though, the sweetener that came up over and over as natural and safe because I was breastfeeding was stevia. So I started with 1 tablespoon of sugar with 1 packet of stevia. Brilliant. Kept at this til I acclimated to the taste of it and eventually one day I jumped off the ledge and completely stopped using sugar altogether. Just the stevia. And I had crossed the finish line of knowing I did not crave the sugar anymore, it was just a bad habit. So I packed up the sugar and stored it in my freezer (bc I do use it for baking on rare occasions.) And it has stayed there ever since.
So then how do I know that Shakeology helped make this happen? If I was having my coffee at 7-8am, I knew for certain that I would get my sweet kick in again with Shakeology sometime between 11am-2pm, which worked perfectly for me. And the fact that the afternoon snack just disappeared on its own was just easy that I didn't even notice. But what it takes is having Shakeology in my system everyday at a certain time that works for me. That time is anywhere between 10am-2pm so that my day flows. It works for me and I am so grateful to have kicked this habit. See, it is critical for me. Diabetes II runs in my family and I have seen first hand what it can do. So my priority this past year was to make sure I change my diet, get rid of this addiction so I prevent to the best of my ability this horrible affliction. A healthy diet creates a healthy weight which in turn lowers my risk for diabetes II.
So take a moment to think about your sugar addiction and the long term affects it could have on you... what would you be willing to change right now today to prevent the horrible health issues associated with it so you can enjoy every decade of your life? If I told you this shake would help you, would you drink it? I would and that is what I am doing on this journey with Shakeology.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
My 10 Day Vacation from Shakeology
Last year, I started drinking Shakeology on July 1st. And I was all in. Except that I didn't order it on HD (that's Home Delivery.) I just did the one time delivery, you know the 24 packet box. Why did I do that? I knew I was going on vacation and not just any vacation, a road trip, half way across the country. And I knew I wasn't going to be drinking a shake on the road. At this point in time, I had not even told my husband about Shakeology or Beachbody or anything. I was just a few months post-pardum after having my 3rd child, Noah, in April. Shakeology and Beachbody (Body Gospel) is just another one of my attempts to exercise and get healthy.
So I am 30 days into the program (Body Gospel) and drinking Shakeology and everything is going really well. I am finding balance in my life with 3 kids, happiness in my home and developing the most awesome connection with God as I am being mindful about taking care of myself so I can take care of my children. I mean, I am getting, like no sleep, 2 hours at a clip at best, and just figuring out life with 3 kids ages 4, and 2 and 3-4 months. But I found everyday as I drank Shakeology, which was usually at lunch, I had all this awesome energy. I can take care of the kids, myself, the house, my husband and I still found time leftover to workout and eat right. This stuff was amazing but I didn't realize it. It's like when your vision adjusts slowly to something and then you realize you can see with clarity and acuity.
I really remember dragging after Megan, especially because I returned to work at 12 weeks. It was so hard to get through the day and I used to drink 3 cups of coffee, spaced throughout the day just so I could function. She was a C-section and the physical recovery was just awful and exercise never felt right. That is why I was determined to have Noah as a VBAC. But I remember the many months after Megan that even when I got home, from 4pm-8pm was the longest stretch of the day. It made me sad bc I love being with my children. But they always had a way of taking what little energy I had left and it felt like I was being sucked dry. They were usually not at their best at that time of the day, my mother often called it the "witching hour." And I was desparately looking for patience and was often not finding it. I had very little to give when I was spending "quality time" with my husband that I often fell asleep on the coach before 10 pm.
But this time, it was different. Everything got easier and I had the energy to get and STAY organized with all the new chaos. I can see that now with 20-20 hindsight. And then we got in the car for the road trip to Missouri for a family reunion with my husband's family. And I was all out of Shakeology. I prepared myself with probably $50 worth of nondairy protein drinks, energy protein bars that varied from $3-5 each, and tons of snacks like nuts, fruits, etc. to make-up for what I was not getting since I had stopped Shakeology.
We are about 2 days in and I am tracking all of my calorie intake on MyFitness Pal app, and I realize that I am starting to get hungry about every 2 hours as I keep logging into my smartphone to keep a running total of my calories. And I am being super mindful of my calorie intake, because in those first 30 days, I lost 10 pounds and I was very excited about that. (Though I had not told anyone that I was doing Beachbody or Shakeology. I was so afraid to fail.) I did not want the scale to go in the other direction. I wanted to lose this baby weight and keep it off for good. But I was always looking for something to keep me satisfied. Thankfully I could blame the kids to say we need to take a meal break (potty break) and find something to eat, whether it was from our packed food or something else.
My husband was great accomodating me with runs to supermarkets wherever we were on vacation since I had a dietary restriction (no dairy bc I was breastfeeding Noah who clearly had a dairy intolerance.) He was always aware that I needed to have good HEALTHY food, high in protein to keep my energy up. Needless to day, I felt like I was eating all day long. Thankfully I kept my water intake up so I would not overeat.When our vacation was over and we were back home, I checked the scale and WHEW! No weight gain occured. No loss, but no gain. I did not like how much I needed to eat and the energy protein bars, though nice, were not always tasty (think nutty cardboard with a glimpse of honey) and didn't keep me full for long.
It was then that I realized, I needed to be on Shakeology and it needed it on Home Direct (HD) because I did not want to be off it again. I was able to keep my energy up but I kept feeling like I had to eat and then an hour later know that I needed to eat again and make all these decision about that to eat and keep repeating that pattern 4,5 or 6 times a day. In July, I liked having my "normal" schedule of breakfast, lunch, dinner with maybe a snack or two if I needed it. Who wants to feel like a ravenous animal all day long, looking for the next kill? Not me. I need easy. I need simple. I need good nutrition. Shakeology answered all that and it was delicious. I can't say that for the $50+ of healthy snacks I bought. Since mid-August 2013 when we returned, I have been on Shakeology ever since and I haven't missed a day. It feels good to be healthy and I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world.
So I am 30 days into the program (Body Gospel) and drinking Shakeology and everything is going really well. I am finding balance in my life with 3 kids, happiness in my home and developing the most awesome connection with God as I am being mindful about taking care of myself so I can take care of my children. I mean, I am getting, like no sleep, 2 hours at a clip at best, and just figuring out life with 3 kids ages 4, and 2 and 3-4 months. But I found everyday as I drank Shakeology, which was usually at lunch, I had all this awesome energy. I can take care of the kids, myself, the house, my husband and I still found time leftover to workout and eat right. This stuff was amazing but I didn't realize it. It's like when your vision adjusts slowly to something and then you realize you can see with clarity and acuity.
I really remember dragging after Megan, especially because I returned to work at 12 weeks. It was so hard to get through the day and I used to drink 3 cups of coffee, spaced throughout the day just so I could function. She was a C-section and the physical recovery was just awful and exercise never felt right. That is why I was determined to have Noah as a VBAC. But I remember the many months after Megan that even when I got home, from 4pm-8pm was the longest stretch of the day. It made me sad bc I love being with my children. But they always had a way of taking what little energy I had left and it felt like I was being sucked dry. They were usually not at their best at that time of the day, my mother often called it the "witching hour." And I was desparately looking for patience and was often not finding it. I had very little to give when I was spending "quality time" with my husband that I often fell asleep on the coach before 10 pm.
But this time, it was different. Everything got easier and I had the energy to get and STAY organized with all the new chaos. I can see that now with 20-20 hindsight. And then we got in the car for the road trip to Missouri for a family reunion with my husband's family. And I was all out of Shakeology. I prepared myself with probably $50 worth of nondairy protein drinks, energy protein bars that varied from $3-5 each, and tons of snacks like nuts, fruits, etc. to make-up for what I was not getting since I had stopped Shakeology.
We are about 2 days in and I am tracking all of my calorie intake on MyFitness Pal app, and I realize that I am starting to get hungry about every 2 hours as I keep logging into my smartphone to keep a running total of my calories. And I am being super mindful of my calorie intake, because in those first 30 days, I lost 10 pounds and I was very excited about that. (Though I had not told anyone that I was doing Beachbody or Shakeology. I was so afraid to fail.) I did not want the scale to go in the other direction. I wanted to lose this baby weight and keep it off for good. But I was always looking for something to keep me satisfied. Thankfully I could blame the kids to say we need to take a meal break (potty break) and find something to eat, whether it was from our packed food or something else.
My husband was great accomodating me with runs to supermarkets wherever we were on vacation since I had a dietary restriction (no dairy bc I was breastfeeding Noah who clearly had a dairy intolerance.) He was always aware that I needed to have good HEALTHY food, high in protein to keep my energy up. Needless to day, I felt like I was eating all day long. Thankfully I kept my water intake up so I would not overeat.When our vacation was over and we were back home, I checked the scale and WHEW! No weight gain occured. No loss, but no gain. I did not like how much I needed to eat and the energy protein bars, though nice, were not always tasty (think nutty cardboard with a glimpse of honey) and didn't keep me full for long.
It was then that I realized, I needed to be on Shakeology and it needed it on Home Direct (HD) because I did not want to be off it again. I was able to keep my energy up but I kept feeling like I had to eat and then an hour later know that I needed to eat again and make all these decision about that to eat and keep repeating that pattern 4,5 or 6 times a day. In July, I liked having my "normal" schedule of breakfast, lunch, dinner with maybe a snack or two if I needed it. Who wants to feel like a ravenous animal all day long, looking for the next kill? Not me. I need easy. I need simple. I need good nutrition. Shakeology answered all that and it was delicious. I can't say that for the $50+ of healthy snacks I bought. Since mid-August 2013 when we returned, I have been on Shakeology ever since and I haven't missed a day. It feels good to be healthy and I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
What is so awesome about Shakeology?
This is just a quick blog to let my friends, family, and fans know about what is so awesome about Shakeology. In 2013, I lost 50 lbs drinking Shakeology and doing Beachbody workouts. Which is an awesome task in and of itself. But the MOST amazing thing I really love about what Shakeology has given me that money just can't buy: ENERGY. I am one of those people who can just keep going. And going. The things I have been able to do in the past year because of my energy just simply amazes me. And it is because of Shakeology.
I remember vividly this winter the energy I had to help gather wood. See, I live in a log home with an open floor plan. And we heat with wood as our main source of heat. I live on about 3.5 acres of property. Most weekends you will find my husband in the yard either with a chainsaw in his hands or sitting next to the wood splitter making our firewood. And we have lived in this house for about 5 years. And for the past five years, I gave birth to 3 children. So every winter I was always pregnant (shouldn't lift heavy things) or nursing an infant (which wasvery time intensive.) So I was never able to really help except maybe to stack some wood every now and then.
This winter here in NJ it was super cold with many days falling to zero degrees and about eight snowstorms. And we have had several machine problems with chainsaws, our wood splitter and the quad breaking down on us, which really slowed down cutting and moving the wood. One week in particular I remember Scott telling me, if you can get any wood up to the house, that would help. It was going to be a cold spell. So after I got my son onto the bus, got the baby down for an early morning nap and my daughter nestled in the house, I went down with serious determination to get some wood up to the house. Now, my front part of my property is a hill and of couse the wood is at the bottom and the house is at the top of the hill. And the quad is broken, not that I know how to drive it anyway. So I grabbed the wheelbarrow and went down the hill, filled it up with about a dozen pieces of wood and then pushed the full wheelbarrow up the hill and dumped it by the porch. And then repeated that over and over and over again for the next hour. After that time, I saw how big the pile was, I threw the logs onto the porch, which if you have every thrown wood about 5-7 feet, not that easy. After I got it on the porch, I then stacked it on our wood cord holder against the front of the house. Definitely got my heart rate up as I got almost a week's worth of wood up to my house.
Now I had never done this before. And it's was about 9:45-10am. Then I went in the house and took care of my infant and daughter, and my oldest son when he got home, cleaned the house, cooked all our meals and went about my routine, which of course, included my Beachbody workout. At the end of that day, of which I am glad I took some pictures, that is when I realized that I am a Log Cabin Mama and we are some tough women. But I wasn't able to do this before. Not for 5 winters. What was the difference this time?
That is when I realized how much energy I had. Like Superman energy. And I knew, just knew, it was because I was drinking Shakeology every single day. The nutrition it provides that aides my muscles to work harder than they ever have before. To do all that before 10 am AND still do all my regular responsibilities. The fact that I didn't get sore or winded or fatigues. Shakeology. The vitamins and minerals really make a difference in how your body can handle all sorts of challenges. And I just kept realizing over and over, that what you reap, you sow. What you put in your body changes what your body is capable of doing.
I feel so amazed and blessed that I can do all this and more... because of Shakeology. Thank you God!
I remember vividly this winter the energy I had to help gather wood. See, I live in a log home with an open floor plan. And we heat with wood as our main source of heat. I live on about 3.5 acres of property. Most weekends you will find my husband in the yard either with a chainsaw in his hands or sitting next to the wood splitter making our firewood. And we have lived in this house for about 5 years. And for the past five years, I gave birth to 3 children. So every winter I was always pregnant (shouldn't lift heavy things) or nursing an infant (which wasvery time intensive.) So I was never able to really help except maybe to stack some wood every now and then.
This winter here in NJ it was super cold with many days falling to zero degrees and about eight snowstorms. And we have had several machine problems with chainsaws, our wood splitter and the quad breaking down on us, which really slowed down cutting and moving the wood. One week in particular I remember Scott telling me, if you can get any wood up to the house, that would help. It was going to be a cold spell. So after I got my son onto the bus, got the baby down for an early morning nap and my daughter nestled in the house, I went down with serious determination to get some wood up to the house. Now, my front part of my property is a hill and of couse the wood is at the bottom and the house is at the top of the hill. And the quad is broken, not that I know how to drive it anyway. So I grabbed the wheelbarrow and went down the hill, filled it up with about a dozen pieces of wood and then pushed the full wheelbarrow up the hill and dumped it by the porch. And then repeated that over and over and over again for the next hour. After that time, I saw how big the pile was, I threw the logs onto the porch, which if you have every thrown wood about 5-7 feet, not that easy. After I got it on the porch, I then stacked it on our wood cord holder against the front of the house. Definitely got my heart rate up as I got almost a week's worth of wood up to my house.
Now I had never done this before. And it's was about 9:45-10am. Then I went in the house and took care of my infant and daughter, and my oldest son when he got home, cleaned the house, cooked all our meals and went about my routine, which of course, included my Beachbody workout. At the end of that day, of which I am glad I took some pictures, that is when I realized that I am a Log Cabin Mama and we are some tough women. But I wasn't able to do this before. Not for 5 winters. What was the difference this time?
That is when I realized how much energy I had. Like Superman energy. And I knew, just knew, it was because I was drinking Shakeology every single day. The nutrition it provides that aides my muscles to work harder than they ever have before. To do all that before 10 am AND still do all my regular responsibilities. The fact that I didn't get sore or winded or fatigues. Shakeology. The vitamins and minerals really make a difference in how your body can handle all sorts of challenges. And I just kept realizing over and over, that what you reap, you sow. What you put in your body changes what your body is capable of doing.
I feel so amazed and blessed that I can do all this and more... because of Shakeology. Thank you God!
Why did I start Drinking Shakeology?
My story begins with having my third child, Noah, this past April in 2013. I was so happy. I had a great pregnancy, great birth, great baby. Now, it was time to get back into shape. After my first two babies, I pulled off most of the weight, not quite all of it, hanging on to 10 or more pounds each time. I was always trying to find ways to get some more exercise in my life. Small attempts that never seemed to be the right answer.
During this pregnancy I had switched to a low GI diet based on the advice of one of my midwives, which helped me keep up my energy with my 3 & 2 yr old. at home. Eating small meals frequently, high protein, and keep moving worked well for me. I barely gained any weight at the end of my pregnancy, which was important since I was trying to have Noah via VBAC. And then Noah came along. He was beautiful and perfect. I loved breastfeeding him. It was so important to me since I breastfed my other two children. It wasn't long before I realized that Noah reacted to things that I ate. After your pregnancy is over, most women are glad to be able to not be restricted any more in their diet. I went off the GI diet back to how I used to eat. Instantly, I could tell Noah did not like it. So I switched back to almond milk, which I discovered during the last trimester of my pregnancy. Still Noah had issues of skin breakouts, gas, and painful bowel movements, that would often explode out of him. Poor little guy. Then it sunk in, dairy of any kind did not agree with him.
Deep breath, OK, I can do this. I love him and breastfeeding is so important to me. But now I needed to do some research so I could not only eliminate dairy but adjust family recipes, many of which contained butter or cheese. So I knew I still needed protein but did not want to eat meat or nuts at every meal. Meat is too much for my taste buds and nuts have a lot of fat with the protein. Without an easy protein like milk, cheese, yogurt, etc., i realized I would need a protein drink. That's when I kept seeing Millie's posts on Facebook about Shakeology. She also kept posting about her weight loss journey after baby #2.
So I put my skepticism aside, which is strong for me. I have a strong science background so I, of course, needed to review all the evidence, do all the research before I came to my own conclusion. I went to the Beachbody website about half a dozen times trying to read up on all their products. It sounded good from all the evidence I saw.
Then I contacted Millie, who is my coach now, and asked about the exercise program (Body Gospel) she used and also Shakeology. It was so clear that I felt God prompting me to do this. Here I am breastfeeding my infant at 3 am and trying to find something that would help me so I could help him. He's my son and he means the world to me. But sometimes God talks to you in whispers at 3am, its not really maternal exhaustion. And this time I did listen to His whisper.
Why do I use Shakeology and Beachbody products? My "why" is my family. I love them so much and I want to give my all to them. I want to have energy all day long, I want to be able to play and do any activity the kids wanted to try. I want to be kind and loving to my new child, not a run down mother who would keep thinking I should just give him a bottle. I want to be healthy for them. I want to enjoy these years with my husband and be a good wife to him. He's my best friend and desrves the best of me. In addition, Type 2 diabetes runs in my family, which concerns me and I don't want that to limit me. I don't want to be on dozens of medications. It was time for me to get healthy.
So I signed up and got Body Gospel and vegan tropical strawberry Shakeology. The shake gave me energy instantly, which is awesome for a mom of 3 children ages 4 and under. Body gospel allowed me to worship, exercise and focus on my physical and mental health. I loved the journal that came with Body Gospel, with just a nugget of scripture to hear God cheering me on everyday kept me going. Writing my goals helped me. I was feeling great. Everyone around me could see it, sense it, feel it. The weight loss is a huge bonus. Feeling good because I got in a good exercise routine makes me personally happy. I got in my "me time" while being with my kids. Win win for everyone.
As I got more educated, I realized to my chagrin, I wasn't overweight, I was obese. I kept kidding myself, that I was fine and skinnier in my mind than in the mirror or on the scale. So I kept at it. Trying to get some exercise in almost every day. Trying to eat better on a dairy free diet, which at times felt so limiting. I also prayed to God. I knew that He would help me be successful. It was such a strong feeling that God was for me, especially in this year of my life. Every month, miracles would happen for me and my family, things that I can't explain other than knowing it God behind it all. My faith is so strong now.
And so here I am today, over 33 pounds lighter, kicked a sugar and caffeine addiction that I had most of my adult life, happier than I have ever been before and confident that God has me right where I am supposed to be. My family is completely reaping the benefits of my transformation. I am so grateful that I heard God's prompting to take a chance, to make a change. Thank you, God!
As for you, just take a chance, especially if you feel God's prompting. =)
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