FREE Faithfully Fit 28 Day CHALLENGE GROUP

Hello and Welcome! 

I would like to invite you to a place where we will become fit and healthy together, craving God first instead of food. 

I am so excited for this brand new group which will be all about support. This group is for anyone that is currently participating, participated or is thinking of participating in any of my Beachbody Fitness or Nutrition Challenge Groups. We will work together for 21 Days where we will be going through the FREE 21-Day Devotionals based on the book Made to Crave by Lysa Terkeurst.  Our group will be 28 days as we will have a prep week and then 21 days of fitness and devotionals :)

Has food become more about frustration than fulfillment? The New York Times bestselling release Made to Crave is the missing link between a woman’s desire to be healthy and the spiritual empowerment necessary to make that happen. 

The daily Made to Crave Devotionals will take less than 5 minutes a day to read. I also plan to incorporate the book Made to Crave (it is optional).

In these 21 Days you will learn how to:
– Break the cycle of “I’ll start again on Monday,” and feel good about yourself today.
– Stop agonizing over numbers on the scale and make peace with your body.
– Replace rationalization that leads to diet failure with wisdom that leads to victory.
– Reach your healthy goals and grow closer to God through the process.
– Prepare recipes that are satisfying and delicious

– Implement quick and fun workouts that will fit your daily lifestyle.

What is the commitment for the Faithfully Eat Clean group?
– Go to Made to Crave website and subscribe to the FREE Made to Crave 21 Day Challenge at http://madetocrave.org/21-day-challenge/.
– Participate in one of my Challenge groups or sign-up as a FREE Teambeachbody.com member so I will become your FREE fitness and health coach. SIGN UP HERE 
– Engage with me and Group right here on Facebook; share how you are feeling and encourage others to reach their goals.
– Do a daily workout of at least 30 minutes 5 days a week. (I can help you find the right program to help you reach your goals).

As soon as you sign-up for the Free Devotionals and the Free Team Beachbody account, please send me a meaasge below and I will give you access to the group.

This group is here for those who are serious about winning their battle against “food” once and for all. Are you ready?

“I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” – Phillippians 4:13

Do you know someone who wants to change too? Do you want to invite your friends? Please do!

Make sure they know ahead of time what is required of them and invite them to the group. I will communicate with them and approve their participation in the FREE Eat Clean and Find Freedom CHALLENGE.

I am looking forward to spending the next 28 days with you.
Be blessed!

Homemade Coconut Cream Pie Larabars

No matter who I talk to, most everyone seems to love larabar, I know I do! I am a huge fan of them and one of my favorites is the Coconut Cream Pie and I think these coconut cream larabars I made came out even better than the store bought ones!!

These literally took about 5 minutes to make.  Can it get any easier?  I love easy to make recipes like this.  The store bought Larabars cost about $1.50 a piece and that can add up fast if you are buying a lot of them.  So here is my favorite recipe.  I hope you like it as much as we do.(The recipe is not my own but I can recall where I came a cross it at! 

Ingredients:

• 15 Medjool Dates
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 2 T coconut oil
• 2 T water

Instructions:

• Mix the almonds, coconut and cashews in the food processor until finely grated.
• Then add the dates, oil and water and pulse until a dough forms.
• Line an 8X8 pan with parchment paper leaving enough room for some to come out the sides. That way, the bars will be easy to remove and cut with a pizza cutter.
• Press down the down so that it is packed well and place in the fridge to set.
• It will take an hour or two. Slice and eat. These should keep in the fridge for a couple weeks.

It doesn’t get much easier than that friends!

Enjoy and I Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Fixate Cookbook: Recipe Sneak Peek

For those of you anxiously awaiting the release of Fixate, the Brand New 21 Day Fix cookbook by Autumn Calabrese, we’ve got a fun insider’s sneak peek for you.  Here are just a few delicious recipes from the book to get your mouth watering and your waist line shrinking! They look delish!  Scroll down to print out the entire .pdf for your reference.  Also, don’t forget to visit my other blog post for additional clean eating and 21 Day Fix Approved recipes.  Or, you can visit my 21 Day Fix Recipe Ideas Board on Pinterest for even more fix approved meal ideas. 

FIXATE ZUCCHINI CHIPS

SERVES: 4 Prep Time: 15 min. Cooking Time: 2 hrs.
CONTAINER EQUIVALENTS (per serving): One green, 1/2 tsp.

1 large zucchini, very thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1⁄2 tsp.sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
2 paper towels to help draw out liquid

1. Preheat oven to 225° F.
2. Place zucchini slices in one layer between
3. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Place zucchini slices on prepared baking sheets.
5. Brush zucchini with oil; sprinkle with salt.
6. Bake for 2 hours, or until golden brown and crispy.
7. Cool completely before serving.

PINEAPPLE CHICKEN SKEWERS

SERVES: 4 (2 skewers each) Prep Time: 20 min.
Cooking Time: 10 min.
CONTAINER EQUIVALENTS (per serving): 1/2 green, 1/2 purple, 1 red

8 bamboo skewers
1 lb. raw chicken breast, boneless, skinless, cut into 16 1-inch pieces
1⁄4 cup reduced-sodium tamari soy sauce, gluten-free
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 (8-oz.) can pineapple chunks in juice, drained
1 1⁄2 medium red bell pepper, cut into 16 1-inch chunks
large red onion, cut into 16 1-inch chunks

1. Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes.
2. Place chicken in resealable plastic bag (or container);
add soy sauce, oil, and ginger; seal bag and shake gently to mix. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to marinate.
3. Preheat gas or charcoal grill on medium heat.
4. Place a piece of chicken, pineapple chunk, bell pepper, and
onion onto a skewer. Repeat, so the skewer has two pieces of each ingredient. Repeat with seven remaining skewers. Discard marinade that contained chicken.
5. Grill skewers on covered grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
6. Serve immediately.

FIXATE QUINOA AND BLACK BEAN SALAD

SERVES: 12 (1 cup each) Prep Time: 30 min. Cooking Time: 12 min.
CONTAINER EQUIVALENTS (per serving): 1 green, 2 yellow, 1 1/2 tsp.
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
2 cups dry quinoa, rinsed
1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium orange bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
1 10-oz. bag frozen corn,thawed
1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cans (15-oz. ea.) black beans, drained, rinsed
4 1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar
Ground black pepper (to taste; optional)
water

1. Combine lime juice, cumin, and salt in a medium bowl; whisk to blend.
2. Slowly add oil, while whisking constantly. Set aside. 3. Combine beans, vinegar, and pepper (if desired)
in a medium bowl; mix well. Set aside.
4. Bring water to a boil in medium saucepan over high heat.
5. Add quinoa. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until all water has been absorbed. Remove from heat. Cool for 15 to 30 minutes. Set aside.
6. Place cooled quinoa in a large bowl. Fluff with a fork.
7. Add bell peppers, corn, cilantro, bean mixture, and dressing;
toss gently to blend.

Download the entire Sneak Peek pdf here.

Hello Summer Health & Fitness Accountability Group

Hello Summer. ah! Finally, Summer is right around the corner…let’s work together to get Healthy and Fit!!

– Feeling the need to lose weight for all the upcoming summer activities and fun?  Have a summer wedding, reunion, vacation that you want to look and feel your best for?
– Want to feel confident in tanks, shorts, sundresses and swimsuits....with out a cover up?
– Low on Energy? Need a natural pick me by becoming a healthier happier you?
– Have health reasons that require you to lose weight, watch your nutrition and/or get in some daily exercise?
– Want to feel confident in your own skin again????

Join our Hello Summer Fitness Accountability Group beginning preseason on Monday, May 26th Yep! The day AFTER Memorial Day :) And our Official Day 1 is June 1st!

Together we’re going to work hard to reach your health and fitness goals through:

– 30 Minute daily in home workouts
– Nutrition and Meal Planning
– Leaning Portion Control
– Accountability
– Fitness & Nutrition Tips
– Shakeology
– Fun and Prizes
– Daily Support and Motivation!!

Let’s do this together. I personally lost 24 pounds through groups just like this one. I love to pay forward what I have learned and desire to inspire others to be Beautifully Brave!!

WHAT IS A BEACHBODY CHALLENGE GROUP?

If you are at all familiar with fitness, Beachbody or are friends with a Beachbody coach or even on  Facebook, instagram or any other other social media site, then you have probably seen or heard the term "challenge group" mentioned but what does it mean?? 

A challenge group is when a group of people (my groups are usually made of of all ladies) that commit to doing a Beachbody at-home workout program, drinking Shakeology, and checking in with their coach via a private Facebook group for a specified period of time. Most challenge groups are short, lasting usually 3-4 weeks.  In some groups, everyone commits to the same workout program and in others, members choose any program they would like.  As a coach, I use the Facebook group to post fitness and nutrition tips, recipes, inspirational messages, quotes, or pictures, and assignments.  The group should also be used for the members to post any questions they may have throughout the process, encourage one another, and post their progress.  

To be honest, even as a coach, I was skeptical about how effective being a part of a challenge group would be.  I wasn't convinced it would truly serve to keep me on track, consistent, motivated, or accountable to my workouts and eating habits. Boy was I wrong.  I felt very comfortable and connected to my group and coach. It was a safe place for me to share my struggles and my triumphs. And I really  wanted to make my coach proud.  I felt guilty if I wasn't actively participating with the group, but to participate, I needed to be doing my workouts and eating healthy!  IT WORKED.  

Challenge groups are the answer to the accountability question of at-home workouts.  As a coach, I act as an online personal trainer for a lot less money than you would pay a trainer at the gym.  Thanks to social media, it is VERY easy to connect and stay up to date on everyone and where they are at.   

Challenge groups are for everyone.  All ages and all sizes.  You may be the most disciplined person in the world, but joining a challenge group will make you even MORE disciplined.  Engaging in your challenge groups will get you results.  Your coach can help you reach your fitness goals.   

Freedom in Truth - Overcoming My Binge Eating Habits

There is so much freedom in letting go and sharing the darkest places within ourselves, There is so much freedom in truth and Today ... I am ready to be Free. 

Please know that sharing this part of my journey is incredibly difficult for me. It takes me back to a place that I hope and pray I never have to experience again so in being real and raw I hope that it will help just one person out there. I was stuck and I was able to change, learned to heal and am now becoming who God created me to be! 

I just want to start by saying, We all go through things in this life that are hard. Some of our trials are way more difficult than others.  A few years ago I went through the biggest trial of my life...so far anyway:) and handled it in a very terrible way. 

To start, Let me paint the picture for you of the "old me". Three years ago I was in a place of happiness... My life was REALLY good. I was happy and healthy (I am almost 5'4" & weighed 130 lbs this was awesome as I had recently had a baby and had "bounced back" better than ever! My marriage was happy, full of love and was very solid, (my husband was still healing from the loss of his father but he was finally in a better place), we had been blessed with 3 beautiful & healthy children after many losses and years of struggling to have children. and Our business was finally in a good place after years of "holding on" and riding the wave of the recession..... It seemed like the rough times were finally over. Life was really finally good. I was so grateful and happy to be blessed with all the great things we had going on. 

Then the devil found a crack and attacked my family, my happy life. My bubble popped and my happy world shattered and came crashing down all around me. I was left to pick up the shattered pieces and try to put everything back together again. But healing takes time and I didn't even know where to begin that part of my journey. I just wasn't there yet. I was still in shock and awe and I was beyond hurting, I felt lost and alone. I hit rock bottom. I was broken.  I won't go into all of the details of what caused my struggle because what happened isn't important per say, it was how I dealt with my hurts and pain that does matter...

On the outside I looked happy and healthy, full of life and smiles, and pain free...the normal me. But on the side I was a mess. I was taunted, tortured, tormented and beaten down unbearable emotional pain. I have never been so hurt and out of control of myself and my feelings before. I was struggling to understand what? how? and why's ? of everything and was loosing the battle. There was a struggle that raged on inside me, I wanted my old life back and since that was not an option I needed to feel some since of normalcy. I longed to feel in control of something. ANYTHING! 
At this point I hadn't even begun to wonder if I could heal from such a deep brokenness. I was just stuck in it!

I found myself keeping up my charade during the day not wanting anyone to know what had happened. It was exhausting. I would pretend by day and at night I was finding myself almost unknowingly in front of the TV with a bag (or two) of chips crackers, ice cream, sodas, candies, anything that was junk that I could eat. I was full but I was hungry. I would eat from the moment my kids where put in bed to the wee hours of the morning. Hours of eating garbage and I would feel relieved for the time being sitting there eating. 

Somehow filling myself with unhealthy goodies made me "feel better". It made me feel like I was not empty anymore. Without even knowing it I had turned to food to help me feel like I was in control of something...my husband would try to "help" make me aware of how much I was consuming but it only made it worse. I felt like a defiant kid being told no and I would go eat more. I even started to eat treats in hiding when he wasn't looking so he would not know how much I was eating. My weight was starting to creep up but I didn't even notice. 

I was in counseling to help me heal from the effects of our family attack and to start my healing process but I did not realize that there was a problem with food at this point. I was too concerned about the rest of the mess, and I couldn't focus on my new issue yet, the old one was still raw. I was also loosing control of my anger and started yelling at my little ones a lot. I was not a happy person anymore and I was taking it all out on those I loved the most. 

My husband thought we needed a bit of a change so we decided to take a long family trip and get away from everything. We did a family road trip. We traveled for a couple months, It was fun and helpful. Towards the end of the trip we visited his family in Wisconsin like we always do on summer break before coming home to get ready for school. When we got home from the trip my weight was a big noticeable concern. Within a 4-5 months I had gained a whopping 27 lbs. Nothing fit anymore. I avoided the camera and people. I hated the scale, the mirror, my closet and myself. 

After our summer trip my husband decided the trip helped and felt very strongly that we needed another change, this time A. BIG. CHANGE. For the sake of our family he thought we should move. We had been talking about it for years anyway and the stars had never aligned before but now they were so now was the time.  So  with me kicking and screaming we moved from our home away from our family, friends, church, everything I knew to start fresh and begin new. At first it was terrible. I didn't know anyone, I had no family, no friends, no play dates, no MOPS, no outs. and I was buried in snow and did not feel safe attempting to drive in it. Not to mention tons of unpacking and trying to still heal. It all took it toll on me. and by this point I was so caught up in the "habit" of late night eating that it was my norm and it was hard to change so at night my norm would continue.On Halloween I got on the scale for the first time in months. I was shocked and decided I needed to give up diet soda...which I easily did but that was not a cure and by Thanksgiving I weighed 168 lbs. 

It was a hard reality. I had gone from a size 4 to a 10-12. I knew I needed to get myself back together so I pulled out my favorite workout program ChaLean Extreme. Dusted it off and I started it. It was so hard. I was so out of shape and so I quit. I tried it off and on for a couple months. Starting and quitting, Failing over and over again. 

I tried watching my food intake and was pretty good during the day but those night time food binges would come and I would give in most nights. But now they no longer made me feel better. They made me feel terrible and disgusted with myself. and so my struggle raged on. 

Finally I saw the light in January 2014 when I got an email from Beachbody about a brand new program that helped with portion control. It was called the 21 Day Fix. (oops, I forgot to mention that when I was in a good place I was a coach but that too was on my back burner) Anyways, It was like an angel herself had handed me freedom from my struggle. I just felt this was it! Maybe just maybe I could this! It was just 21 days! Just 3 weeks!  I finally had HOPE! It was being released to coached first. So on the day it was to be released I sat there on my computer ready and waiting to buy it . I was to start a new chapter and become a better me. 

I ordered it and when it arrived I was determined to follow it to a T. I begged my husband to do it with me and he actually agreed.

I read the information book over and over and I reached out to my coach who I hadn't really spoken to in a long while out of embarrassment and shame But she graciously let me join her upcoming online challenge group for extra support. I also begged my hubby to do the program with me and support my new venture because I was so scared to fail yet again.... He also graciously agreed, so for 3 weeks 21 days I meal prepped,  I followed the meal plan, and I even used these little colored containers and ate proper portions of foods. We worked out to the 21 Day Fix DVD's and to avoid the late night eating my husband and we did those workouts during our night time couch time aka my glut myself times.  I struggled through the workouts, they were hard at first and my brain was telling to so many lies. You are too old, you have had too many kids, you are too fat to get healthy you will fail again and so on!  There were lots of times I wanted to stop and puke or just flat out quit all together because I was so sore but with the support and motivation of the group and my husband cheering me on I  made it through every single them by following "Kat", The girl doing the easier-beginner version of the workouts  When I felt those hard to get past urges for junk food come on I had a chocolate shakeology shake that came with my Challenge Pack, It helped my cravings a lot and the energy boost was helpful too.  There were some days when I even had 2 shakes... I needed them at the time, lol!

Now I can say with pride that I completed all 21 days and was super proud of my results. After round 1 of the 21 Day Fix I was down 9 lbs and 11 inches. But when it was all over I was on the road to a new me. That leap of faith opened the door to hope.  I continued the program for 4 rounds and now have control of my food. I don't crave the late night junk anymore and in a much better place mentally, physically, and spiritually. I have since completed several other Beachbody programs and am proud of the journey I am on. I am now embracing life and positive change. And don't think I am perfect because I am no where close :)  I have fallen off a few times but I always get back on track. I am now a beachbody coach too, I read personal development, attend bible studies, and now I offer hope to others who want to change from the inside out too by coaching them just like my coach did me!

*Please note I was never diagnosed with an eating disorder. I was just a lost sad girl that turned to food for comfort. I have overcome those bad habits and now have hope and a passion for being a better me. 

* If you or someone you know has an eating disorder please reach out to a loved one or medical provider and seek help. You are not alone and there is always HOPE :)

My Why. Why I became a Beachbody Coach

Many of you know that I am a beach body coach and that I love helping others but most of you don't know why. Why do I coach? 

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Well the reason is very deep and raw and real and sharing it is hard... I never have shared my WHY publicly before. Not that deep why that DRIVES my PASSION as a coach. 

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You see Beachbody has changed my life and the lives of so many others. But for me, it is so much more than a workout program or a shake. It isn't just the weight loss and cute clothes that I now fit into or even the perks and commissions that drive me (Those are all great :) But for me, Beachbody is Sunshine on the darkest of days. It helped transformed me from the inside out, renewed my spirit. In the simplest of explanations Beachbody saved me from myself. You see I was lost for a long time after some hard trials in my life (I will share more on this soon) and Beachbody helped me find myself and use my God given gifts to serve others. I have hope and passion again. I have confidence and I FEEL like me again. Happy and Healthy. 
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Becoming a coach for me was a leap of faith. After starting my own journey I knew I was meant to the Beachbody family so that I could help other women feel and be happy and healthy again. In just 12 short months, my life has been forever changed.

I have helped so many amazing ladies transform their lives and become healthier and happier. Some of these people have decided to join me in coaching others and I am so proud to be a part of their success. It’s a ripple effect – I help someone, they help someone, and so on and so on…
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If you are interested in changing your life, helping others, want to have passion again then take that leap of faith and reach out to me. You don't have to have any experience or a health/fitness background, you just have to have a strong desire to help others. I'm opening up a new coach training where I will be selecting 5 ladies to personally mentor, lock arms with and show step by step how to start as a coach. If you are looking for freedom (both time & financially) while also making a difference in the lives of others and working on yourself comment below or shoot me an email and I can send you over more details to what is involved! I will provide all the training, will support you and help you succeed!